The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-27
TIE PLAGUE IN HAWAII
Surgeon Carmie ael Makes a Re-
port concerning It,
Fifty Deaths Occurred There From
and February o The Tnsk of
Stamping Il Out n Hercuiean One
Anti-Peste Serum Tested rs n Cure.

Official information has been received by
Hospital Service. from that part of the
Hawaiian Islands in which the bubonic
plague has made its appearance, to the eff
feet that the dreaded disease is not being
as readily stamped out as was expected.
While the greatest precautions have been
taken to prevent the spread of the plague,
the recent report of Surgeon D. A. Car
michael, representing the United States at
Honolulu. shows that sixty three cases OF
the disease and fifty deaths have been
recorded between the dates of December Il
in his report, dated February s. to the Sur
geon General. says:
Il have TO inform you that since my last
report, of the % inst, the situation here
relative TO the bubonic plague, has not i'm
proved.
Two new cases of infection have been
found in the business part OF the city,
which seems to point strongly to the be-
lief that the infection has been spread by
rats or ether vermin, driven from the
Chinese quarter of the town
j W. Robertson, an American, was
taken i'll on January 81. He was attended
by his family physician. but the case was
not considered suspicious until February
2 when the Board of Health was notified
and the case diagnosed as plague and the
patient was removed to the hospital. Mr..
Robertson resided In what is considered
a healthy part of the city,
Additional information which the report
contained showed that forty c. c. "a little
more than an ounce of anti-peste serum
was given the patient and while this medi-
cine created an improvement in the bu-
bcnic symptoms, il advanced the tempera-
ture to 105 and over The temperature of
the patient fell after few hours and i'm
provement was noted up TO noon of the
4th inst A change for the worse then
took place and death resulted in the after
noon. This was the first case treated with
anti-peste serum since January 20. and its
results are being watched with great con-
Germ by the authorities.
Referring TO the treatment of Mr. Rob-
ertson by the anti-peste serum, the Surgeon
General has written to DR.. Carmichael
calling his attention to previous communi-
cations and particularly to the results of
the experiments of Chalmette and Salim-
bini in the oporto epidemic, in which
II is stated that much larger doses Of the
serum must be used than have heretofore
been considered necessary; that 100 TO 200
c. C. may, with advantage, be used in the
first forty-eight hours of the disease. and
that 20 10 40 c. C. of this amount should
be given ,intTavenously. The bureau is
fully impressed with the value of the
serum as curative agent if used in proper
quantity, and also Of its innocuousness
with the plan OF treatment suggested.
The infection of this case had not been
clearly traced at the time the report was
written.
"A saloon and livery stable" the report
continues, is the other centre of infec-
ton From this place two Chinese and
one American case have been traced. Both
Cinnamon are dead, but the American is
improving at the pest hospital. The de-
tention camps at Kalihi and ka Kaa Ko
are still in operation, with a number of
persons held at the latter named place. |
The morgue near the Board of Health Of /
fee, has been burned. and a new building |
will be erected near the plague hospital" I
Surgeon Carmichael desires the extermi- |
nation of rats, but he says the task is |
Hereulean, for rats abound in the city. |
All vessels leaving the port are carefully |
and but few rats are found |
after fumigation.
Surgeon General W.man said last night |
that the strict methods now in force on |
the Pacific Coast to protect this country |
from the plague viii be carefully con- !
tinued.