The Hawaiian gazette., 1899-12-15
OPINIONS OF DOCTORS.
What the Medical Profession Says of
the Emergency.

the Emergency.
IL think this rs all foolery," said DIR.
McGrew yesterday. The case l at
tended, and which is set down among
the five reported by the Board of
Health. was not one of the bubonic
plague. One of the doctors who held
the postmortem thought he found bu-
bonic evidences, but l know that the
patient showed no symptoms Of the
plague half an hour before he died. at
which time left him. He had been
sick for week. | shall not be con-
verted to the plague theory until l
have seen an undOubted case. object
to the statement that the plague has
caused five deaths. 1t may have caused
two or three, but not Ave."
DR.. Hoffman said yesterday after
noon that bubonic plague was a dis
ease of dirt, and throve best under
filthy conditions. He believed the
present epidemic to be the black
plague. OF course no one could state
SO positively until the bacteriology of
the disease had been followed out step
by step The evidence, however. was
sufficient. as shown thus far and the
attendant symptoms were such that it
was safe to say the disease was plague
and to treat 1t Sd as preventive meas
ure.
The plague is a contagious disease.
But II does not follow that every time
one comes in contact with an affected
person he contracts the disease. The
period Of incubation is from two to
seven days and In very heavy cases
seems to be only few hours. The lat
est period ever observed has been If
teen days. The germs Of the disease
thrive in the ground and rats which
contract it usually die in three days.
The doctor stated when the epidemic
was last in Canton there was very
large death rate among rats before peO-
pie took sick and the greatest death
rate occurred where people lived in cell
lars. There were very few died where
the people lived upon the house boats
on the rivers.
When the plague is imported into "A
country, as here. there are usually only
a few isolated cases during the first
three or four weeks and after that
there is a more general outbreak. DIR.
Hoffman did not think such would be
the case here owing to the very prompt
and efficient action OF the authorities.
As to the duration of the disease II
lasts from a few weeks II well hand
led. to many months or even years, IL
unchecked. Both nations and indi-
viduals are affected by plague in &C.
cOrdance with the dirt ratio. The
cleanest nations are almost entirely
exempt and only are visited by cpl
denies of short duration introduced
by accident, as in Hawaii. The plague
affects persons most between the ages
OF ten and thirty years.
Il am glad You have called" said
DIR. George Herbert to reporter, TOR
friends OF mine ask me how 1t was
did not report the suspicious case OF
plague spoken OF by one at the Board
OF Health meeting last Tuesday. as
having been discovered on November
10, and some Of them think had seen
this case and had kept II back. The
facts are as follows:
DIR. Soong called me out to Wing Wo
Tai and Co.'S on Monday night to see
case he said he wanted me TO look at,
as he had seen Chinese woman about
month previously. die under similar
conditions. ! went To see the case. and
Immediately recognized II could be
nothing else but plague, as the man
had no symptoms OF any other kind
OF disease. and nothing that could as
simulate any other disease, asked DIR,
Soong II he had heard Of any other