The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-09

doctors have been studying the alleged
cases of plague, and say that not one
of the cases that came under the notice
of the Board of Health was bubonic
plague. The assertion is made that the
disease which carried off so many of
the Chinese, Japanese and Hawaiians
was nothing more than a malignant
type of typhoid and pneumonia.
Recently the streets of Honolulu have
been dug up for the laying of a sewer
age system. For years, particularly in
the Chinese quarter, the soil had been
saturated with filth. When it was turn
ed up noisome smells came from the
disturbed ground, and 1t was predicted
that disease would follow.
A prominent sugar planter. who says
that the plague scare has already cost
him $3.50, 900, is in town, and expresses
great Indignation at the state of af-
fairs. In an interview he said:
sixty deaths from typhoid fever and
pneumonia in three months tine
would never be considered very high
| death rate in Honolulu. The natives
| die readily from almost any disease
| that takes a firm hold on them. / he
| leve that many of the Chinese pa
| TENTS were scared to death. 4 San
| Francisco paper recently stated that a
| Chinese fireman or transport IN
! this harbor who was merely suffering
| from beriberi died after having beea
| put through n rigid examination Ly
| uhp quarantine officials, lasting for IN
| hour. The ships surgeon stated opcn-
| ly at the time that he had been fright-
ened TO death. If a Chinese makes up
his mind that he is very sick man he
will die anyway, even If he had only
a tOothache.
The Board of Health at Honolulu
! has bounced upon every case of fever
reported, and there is no doubt in my
, mind that their method of handling
| patients has often proved fatal Take
the case of Herman Levy, the hotel
clerk, for instance. Even TO-DAY the
Health Board will not assert that he
Is suffering from the plague, yet when
| the board first took up his case they
had him removed, at O'Clock in the
morning, while he was dangerously ILL
from his cottage to the pesthouse
where he still is. His own physician
says that he suffered a relapse under
thu. treatment, which will likely cos
HIM his life or make him an invlnG
for the remainder of his days.
Il III any case, uuueTSJduu III
! Ievy's relatives will bring a heavy
damage suit against the Hawaiian
Government. If the suit comes C
trial there will likely be many inter
sizing developments. and no dOubt al
available expert testimony will be in
PRODUCED 1t will at least be deter
mined whether or not the plague eve
did exist in Honolulu. IL the suit i
successful ii will set the pace for sew
, eral score of similar suits, and TIT
! public purse will have to stand a ire
; mendous drain"
al There are now in Honolulu tw
learned Japanese doctors-One sent,
o Is stated, by the Japanese Government
r and the other by a Japanese emigra
| ton society. Both are familiar wit
= | the bubonic plague in all it's phase
d and both have been unable to find tina
o it ever existed in Honolulu. Anothe
: physician, who spent many years /
r India and studied the disease there /
all it's forms, is now in Honolulu. II
e laughs at the idea that the plague ha
e made it's appearance in Honolulu. II
J. saw several cases and pronounce
e 1hem typhoid. He points out, too
d that IL the disease had ever existed !