The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-07-07

The remarks by a physician i'm the
employ of the Indian Government,
which were published in these columns
yesterday are well worth careful con-
sideration, not only by the ordinary
reader, but especially by the Board or
Health This writer, who is a man of
scientific attachments. and has occupied
position of great Importance in the
war waged against the plague by the
Bombay Government, tells how the
dread disease came to be introduced in
to Bombay. The generally received
opinion was that ii came from Hong
kong in goods, and that the rats had
considerable share in spreading it
through the city
1t was on this account that our Board
of Health would not permit the quaran-
tine to be carried out on quarantine ISL
land, for that spot swarms with rats
and had a case of plague broken out,
there would have been no chance of
segregating the rodents and preventing
them from communicating the disease
to their friends and relations in the
city. In this the officials acted wisely,
however unpleasant it may have been
for those who had to undergo the period
of quarantine upon the rocking City of
Columbia.
But since goods can bring the disease,
steamer coming from Hongkong may
have the germs of plague on board, and
the people of the vessel may be unaf-
fected. 1t is not a foregone conclusion
that a vessel arriving with a clean bill
of health, may not be carrying the dis
ease in the reCesses of it's hold. There
should be- therefore, careful fumiga-
ton of all goods that come from the
Orient. 1t might be even be considered
necessary not to allow vessels coming
from the Orient to approach the
wharves. We may be able to fumigate
the goods, quite satisfactorily, but we
certainly are unable to prevent the
rats of the ship from coming ashore,
and taking trip up town if so minded,
or from taking up fresh quarters
on any of the Island steamers that
might be lying alongside the wharves.
| The Star has no desire to be alarm
| list, but it does want the Board of
Health to act with the greatest caution
and firmness. The effects of the plague
are so terrible 1t is so difficult to
fight, and our sanitary condition is
none of the best. 1t must also be re-
membered that it is far harder to fight
plague than it is to fight cholera, and
we all know what it cost us to fight
cholera four years ago. The respon-
sibilities of the members of the Board of
Health in this matter are enormous,
and the members need the full strength
of public opinion to support them,
however harsh and unpopular their
measures may be.
The London Lancet in discussing the
plague at Bombay, says that in the ear
| ly part of this year it was worse than
ever and that people who regard that
city as doomed may not be so far
wrong, the death rate there has aver
aged $50 per day and it has risen as
! high as 22OO a week.
The Coast papers are urging the
strictest quarantine of vessels coming
from the Orient, and San Francisco is
2O00 miles further away from the source
of the disease. Because in times past
there has been no case of the plague
reaching across the Pacific ocean, it by
no means follows that either the ISL
ands or the West Coast ports should
always remain free. The pitcher goes
great many times to the well but it gets
broken at last.
/ If the price of liberty is said to be
eternal vigilance, the continued preser-
walton of country from epidemic dis
eases still more depends upon vigilance.
We are so well situated that only our
own carelessness will lay us open to
epidemics. 1t is not as if we had half
a hundred ports which needed watch
ing, for purposes of this kind we have
practically only one. 1t depends upon
ourselves to keep the door properly
shut Carelessness in this direction is
as criminal as the case of a sentry who
goes to sleep on his post in the presence
of the enemy. His carelessness may
involve the loss of hundreds of lives
With the Board of Health and the port
physician rest probably not hundreds,
but thousands Of lives, and with them
too there must be no sleeping on the
post.