The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-26
CHISHOLM
CREMATED
So Ordered By Board
of Health.
No CAUSE FOR ALARM
examination to be Made of the AxiI-
larry Gand to Prove the
Cause of Death.

The death of Alex. Chisholm tho
wei known harness maker whose
place OF business was at the corner Of
hlng and Fort streets, caused unusual
comment on the street yesterday. His
ueatn' which occurred at the Queen
hospital at little after 8 O'clock il tho
morning, was sudden, but il was
attributed at the time to malarial fever
Funeral preparations were made bv
the friends of the deceased and the
Dody removed to the undertaking es-
adjustment of II. II. Williams. A
post mortem was held at the hospital
before the removal of the remains TO
tne undertaker's, at which some pecu-
har symptoms were observed, similar
10 those occurring in plague patients.
One OF these was a swelling in the Az
ilIary gland. The gland was removed
TOT a microscopical examination, but
al the time, no great publicity was
given to the death, as the physicians
wished to establish the real cause of
the mans death beyond a reasonable
doubt, and the microscopical examina-
ton was to be made only as a precau-
uonary measure.
however, the friends of Mr.. Chisholm
went ahead with their preparations for
the funeral which was to occur at q
O'Clock. Shortly after noon, DR.. Wood
president of the Board of Health. sent
notice to those having charge of the
FUNERAL, stating that under the circum-
stances the body should be cremated
instead of buried. The friends protest
ed and threatened to secure an attor-
ney to fight the dictum of the president
OF the Health Board. Nevertheless.
DR.. Wood persisted in carrying out his
order, and had the remains removed
TO the crematory on Quarantine Island
where they were quickly cremated.
The action of the Board of Health
created much CONSERVATION around
town among the friends of the deceas-
ed, and soon the rumor got abroad that
another case Of plague had been dis
covered.
A special meeting Of the Board of
Health was called for yesterday after
noon. but on account OF a lack of quo
rum, nothing was done. DR.. Wood
CD NoAAtN away Ou SltdlItI
at the time appointed for the meeting.
Last evening DR.. Wood made the fol-
lowing statement in regard TO the pecu-
Liar case:
Mr.. Chisholm was attended at his
home on Queen street by DR.. Herbert
who sent him to the Queens hospital
Thursday evening. The Doctor at that
time considered the case one of mala-
rial fever. On account OF the death OF
his patient after a short illness and
because of swelling which appeared
under his arm he held a post norton
examination of the body, removing the
gland which he turned over to myself
shortly after noon yesterday. Nothing
definite has been found under the mi
croscope, but as long as there was any
suspicion attached to the case | was
not willing that the body should be
buried as it will take two or three days
TO decide the matter, so | ordered the
body cremated."
In the opinion of DR.. Wood, it was
much better to take the precautiOn Of
cremating the remains than to bury
them, as If the case turned out event
ually after microscopical examinations
to be plague, the Board of Health would
be on the safe side from a quarantine
point of view.
Alexander Chisholm was a Nova
Scotian, although an American citizen,
having lived in the United States for a
Of years before coming to Ho
nolulu. lie was Sc years of age and
and little is known of his
family, other than that he has rela-
tives in Canada. He was a member of
the Legion of Honor. For a number
Of years he has worked at his harness
trade here, and of late was a part
owner of the business conducted on
Fort street, which he originally bought
out from Mr. Hammer.