The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-04-03
A FELL DISEASE.

The deaths from plague during the
month of March amounted to or about
every five days. For the month of
February there were deaths from this
cause, a total of Is which after all is
not so very terrible a record During
the same two months consumption has
claimed 81 victims, two and a half times
as many. Certainly the latter is more
to be dreaded than the plague, as far
as it's ravages among the human race.
Every medical writer points out the
terrible havoc that this disease is max
ing, and yet people never seem to real
ize that it is preventible, and that there
is no necessity for so many people sue
cumbing. 1t stands at the head of the
list of causes of death among our little
community. 1t stands at the head of
the list in the United States, where the
annual loss from consumption is 100,
coo. 1t stands in the same category in
nually, in France they are 10000, in
Germany $4,000.
This is a fearful death roll from the
disease. 1t cannot be denied that no
other disease plays such havoc as this.
An epidemic may for a few months
sweep ahead, but consumption claims
its victims steadily Year in and year
out it reaps it's steady harvest. And
the evil of it is that it strikes mostly at
those between the ages of Is and 49,
carrying off the very flower of the race
That some of these days strenuous
efforts than other forms of sickness
which are not near as deadly, is that
it does not usually kill quickly and that
it is not -repulsive as some of the more
dreaded diseases are.
We have made somewhat of a begin
ring in the battle against consumption
by establishing a home for incurables.
TO this will go the cases in their worst
stages, and by the care exercised in
that establishment, no doubt many will
be protected. But great and necessary
as this work is, consumption will have
to be fought on a larger scale, before
we can hope to make a thorough i'm
preston upon it, When we see a num-
Der of deaths from typhoid fever we
at once become alarmed and look to
our water supply. Articles will be
written about it, and the Health auth
critics, or the government charged with
neglect. This is common all over the
world. In our own city there have been
in the last three months 81 deaths from
typhoid. In two months, as was shown
above there have been 81 deaths from
consumption, and in three there have
been 81, which is not so very far re-
moved from twice as many.
We quarantine against plague, small
pox and yellow fever. We ought to
quarantine against consumption. Such
quarantine would not interfere with
commerce. as the quarantine against
not allowing consumptive people to
land and take up their residence
amongst us. If we could have such a
law passed, we could soon deal with our
consumptives. But the ranks of our
consumptives are constantly being re-
cruited from abroad, just as the ranks
of the consumptives in California are
recruited from the East.
Consumptive children should not lie
allowed in school, and consumptive
teachers should not be allowed to
spread their ailment among children.
To fight consumption will not take
1.-THE of the expense that fighting the
plague has done, it will not cause a dis
location of business, but it will prove
an ineffable boon to the race. This is
a subject that the Board of Health
might we'll give attention to, now that
the plague is practically over.