The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-08-07

airy to July 81. amounted to 2li The
total deaths during the same period to
Gil, So that rather more than onc-third
Of the deaths In this city fer the past
seven months, have been among the
very young.
This in itself Is very startling, but
it becomes more startling when the
Hawaiians are considered out of the
2ll deaths under five years of age. that
nationality furnish 1879 fatal cases, con-
siderably more than one-half of this
total. AS the Hawaiians form about
q per cent or more probably only %
per cent Of the population of Honolulu,
it is very evident that the loss of more
than 80 per cent of deaths among the
young is very much i'm excess of what
it should be, and that the strain upon
that portion of the population is alb
solutely alarming.
Now 1t may very pertinently be ask
ed what is our Board of Health doing
in the matter. And the answer comes
bodybuilding. AS far as the records
of meetings go to show there is not one
it worth while to even allude to this
condition of things, much less to sug-
gest some means of overcoming or COM
batting the abnormal number of deaths
But this in itself is not to be wondered
at, for the Board of Health was quite
of death unknown" and it was only
after much public comment. that that
blot was at last wiped out of the NOR
tuary report.
If smallpox or cholera We're here or
if some devastating fever were preva-
lent the Health authorities would be
quickly reused. This is right. When
there is danger from without the great
est care is exercised, and Quarantine
regulations are enforced, while the orr
gin of the disease, if it got a fOothold
would be diligently sought for.
But when we have such heavy NOR
tality as this which is reported of the
infant population, it apparently strikes
no one with surprise. Yet there must
be some cause for this slaughter of
the innocents." What disease is it that
is so fatal to young children? Or is it
not disease, but carelessness and poor
food which brings it about? Is the
carelessness intentional, or is it care
lessness through ignorance. Why is
the food of poor quality? And finally
is there no remedy?
These are questions which will re-
quire answering, and which will re-
quire a good deal of study to find re-
plies to. The child population has no
business to be carried off in the manner
that it is, without an effort to stay the
tide of death. Because it is always
with us, and has been going on for
years, it is no reason why it should go
on in the same way year after year,
without a hand being held out in as
sistance, or a thought being given to
such an important matter.
The climate is an exceptionally good
one to rear children in. There are none
of the violent extremes common in the
temperate zone, there are none of the
dreadful tropical diseases which are
the scourge of other places in like lati-
'NNAVo' Oou VI lllt SIMPLE KIM is
abundant and there is plenty of work
for those who are willing to labor. In
stead of having such a death rate
rate among the children they should be
abnormally healthy. We ought to face
this position of affairs and see if any
thing can be done to stay the mortali-
ty. 1t is wrong that it should continue
unchallenged and sweep to their death
the bright blossoms that should set and
harden into the healthy fruit of the
nation. We may hedge around our
Islands with the greatest care, but we
have that in our midst which needs our
greatest care and attention, we must
seek the causes for the infant mortali-
ty, and we must find the means to
check it.