The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-01-22
HEALTH INSPECTORS MEET THERE WERE GIANTS THEN.
PRACTICAL TALKS BY THURSTON
AND WOOD.
Duties and Possibilities of Inspectors
Explained - Thorouehness Urged.
Hopeful Remarks of DR.. Wood.


The meeting of the Citizens Sanitary
Committees inspectors and suh-ln- |
spectors at Progress Hall yesterday
forenoon was wen attended. Fully $50
were there. 1t was a meeting for dis
Cussion and for the purpose of making
the work of the inspectors the most
effective possible, and of unifying and
systematizing 1t.
The affirmative action of the meeting
was the unanimous adoption Of the fol-
lowing resolution:
Resolved That it is the sense of
this meeting that the business houses
of Honolulu should open not earlier
than 10 a. m. and close not later than
3 p. m. in order to give the fullest OPP
portunity for sanitary inspection"
The direction of thought and action
of the meeting was given by the very
practical talks of L. A. Thurston and
DR.. G. b. Wood. A summary of Mr.
Thurston's remarks follows:
Many inquiries, he said, had been
made by inspectors as to what their
powers were. Technically, their pow
ers were limited to those of inspection
and report. They were the eyes and
ears of the Board of Health, but prac-
tically inspectors could accomplish a
great deal more than this by the exer-
Il
inspectors should use every endeavor
| TO have insanitary conditions re-
| NEEDED, reporting to their inspectors
in-chief if their directions are not obey
ed
If the endeavors of the inspector are
unavailing, then a report should be
made to the committee, which had ap-
pointed subcommittee who held reg
ular commissions as agents of the
Board and who can serve regular legal
notices and take action against the
persons responsible. They are not,
however, to refer anything of this kind
to the committee until they are certain
they cannot accomplish it themselves.
| AS a sample of what can be accom-
plished, one inspector had ordered
cesspool filled up, when the tenant of
the premises replied that the inspector
| could fill it himself, if he wanted il
filled. The inspector promptly remov-
ed his coat. When the obstreperous in
dividual inquired what he was going to
do, the inspector replied 'I am going
to throw you head first into that cess
pool The man in question promptly
wilted and had the hole filled up be-
fore the inspector made his next round
The inspector will have to use discre-
ton and tact according to the circum-
stances of each individual case.
Constant complaints were made to
the committee about garbage The
Board of Health garbage wagons were
already overwhelmed with work and
could not be relied upon. The recon-
mendation was that inspectors order
burned everything that would burn
and # conditions allowed 1t, to bury the
rest under clean earth or lime, or IL
this could not be done, order its remov-
al, and report to the committee If II
is not done The committee will see the
law enforced.
Mr. Thurston especially impressed
upon the inspectors the necessity for
, investigating and requiring the cleans
ing or filling up of insanitary cesspools
as nothing was more liable to spread
the plague than eXcreta. He said this
committee is primarily one for the dis
covery of plague cases and to remedy
conditions conducive to the disease
lie asked that they do not spend toe
much time over general conditions
which cannot be remedied under the
present pressure, but that they be most
stringent in regard to cesspools and
: privies. They must not take mo" fol
an answer, but report to the COMMITTEE
any shortcoming in this respect.
DR.. Woods address were of a hopeful
tone.
He said that the Board of Health fel!
that it was more nearly in control OF
the situation now than at any time
since the outbreak. The main center OF
infection had been destroyed; outside
centers had been established to some
extent, but they were in situations more
: easily controlled. The main thing now
required was to find the new cases and
: for this reliance was placed upon the
inspectors. If cases can be promptly
reported he felt that the authorities
could control the disease without o
doubt. If the Board of Health and Its
assistant inspectors do not now sup
press the disease 1t will be their OWL
; fault.
Ordinary contact with plague cases
was not particularly dangerous if pro
Per steps were taken to disinfect
/. There seemed to be some peculiar prop
erty about the plague germ which made
it less communicable from one individ
! ual to another than almost any othel
Known infectious disease.
For some reason it seemed the germ
: must needs be first deposited in tn;
clothing, in the soil or in a rat, for in
stance, and after a certain period o
incubation there, became highly infcc
tious. The correctness of this state
ment was evidenced by the fact tina
nurses and members of the same tamil.
had not had the plague, with the on
exception of the case of the Japanes
woman and baby.
The Importance of prompt census re
turns was urged. 1t was announce,
that those discharged from quarantin
> were each to be given discharge per
. nit" which would allow them to set
tie in any district. When an inspecto
found one of these he should registe
tn individual and then take up the per
: NIT to prevent it's being used again
: Those discharged from the kerOsen
( warehouse Saturday night were givel
. baggage checks only. These howeve
gave their name and number and wer
to be treated as discharge permits.
3 The free use of disinfectants wa
!, urged.
SUBURBAN SPORTS.
How much pleasanter to shovel SNOW
than to run the lawn mower!"
"a a. old x.rf.F Ia