The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-09
How He Guards Health
Of Nation. .s.s
TALKS OF BLACK PLAGUE
A Gordon of Quarantine Stations
About the County---Source Of Il
Peril. From Rats.

SAVANNAH, March 22.-Anung tho
distinguished guests in Sasamnaih Is
Surgeon General walter wyman, the
bead of the United STAGES Marine Hos
pital. Service.
AS head of the Marine Hospital Ser
vice. which is practically the United
States health department, Or. Wyman
occupies a very important position.
and especially so at present, when ep-
'idemic diseases threaten the country
from various quarters. 1t Is The chief
duty of the service 20 prevent. these
diseases from entering this country
and to stamp them out, IN conjunc-
ton with the local authorities, should
they secure foothold
The Marine Hospital service now
has fourteen quarantine stations under
its control said DR.. Wyman, when
asked 10 give some idea of the work
under his care. Beginning at Del
ed@are bay we have two. one at the
brSakwater and the other at Reedy
Island including extensive accommo-
datfuns for the handling Of large num-
bers of {6Antfrants. These stations
are for the protection of philadelphia
and all the adjacent territory. In
Chesapeake bay, We have two, one at
| Fisherman's Islands on Cape Charles
and the other the ship jamestown
anchored in Hampton Roads. There
| are number OF inspection stations at
| the small ports along the coast of the
Caro,inas and one large disinfecting
station built out in the stream near
| southport. Then comes Savannah and
next is the South Atlantic station at
| Black beard Island. with Brunswick a
| little further South. on the coast OF
| Florida we have the Dry Tortugas. On
| the Gulf we have stations at Ship ISL
| and and PaScagoula- On the Pacific
coast there is a station at San Diego
and another at San Francisco, the hat
ter the finest in the United States
There is an inspection station at Eu-
reka, Cal, and a quarantine station at
Astoria, Ore, at the mouth Of the Col
umbia river. At Hoaquim. Wash
there is an inspection station, and at
Port Townsend, Wash, a large disin-
fectfng station for Puget Sound. This
completes the list"
1t will be seen that this almost gives
belt around the entire coast Of the
United States New York and Bos-
ton prefer to have their own quaran-
tine. DIR. Wyman believes, however,
that the time is not far distant when
the entire maritime quarantine OF the
United States will be In charge OF ulis
|, Marine Hospital Service.
Besides maintaining the stations
named" said DIR. Wyman, I'VE have a
quarantine officer at every port in Cuba
and Porto Rico, as we'll as in the Phil
: ippine Islands. and under the act now
about to be passed by Congress ma
tional quarantine will be established ~
the Hawaiian Islands. Besides this
our foreign quarantine service Is con-
siderable. We have fifteen commits
stoned officers in the European sen
por.s looking after the sanitation Of
ships about to depart for this country.
Quarantine officers are also stationed
at Hongkcng and at KOBE and Yoko-
hama. Japan. The services OF bhese
officers are OF great value in looking
after enigrants and merchan ndise from
infected ports"
The Bubonic Plague.
AS to the bubonic plague and It's
prospect for reaching or not reaching
this country. DR.. Wyman said: The
nearest infec.ed point TO the United
S.a es is Honolulu, where a close watch
is being kept upon the disease. II pre-
walls to some rt at Hongkong and
slightly in the Philippines. II Is very
prevalent al Calcutta and Bombay
and has been reported from Alden a
the entrance to tire Red sea Il ~.
at Oporto and Lisbon, Portugal. and
crossed from there to Sdntc b, Brazil
where Il Is said to be now eX net. II
is also reported unoficially from Ro
sario in the Argentine Republic. Nat
urally every precaution Is being ta9xer
TO prevent its Introduction into thi.
country. The closest su,pery Bsium &
exercised upon vessels hailing from in
tected or suspected ports and thorough
quarantine and disinfectton Is en-
forced where there Is the slightes
| ground for suspicion"
DIR. Wyman recently issued a pam
phlet, giving the history and character
istics Of the bubonic plague. which h