The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-24
N ANSWER 70 DR.. Russell
CORRESPONDENT ON MORTALITY
OF INFANTS.



issue of your paper regarding the eX-
traordinary mortality among Hawai-
ian infants and young children. Your
correspondent refers to a bill intro
duced by him i'm the Senate and pre-
supposes that his measure would have
remedied the situation. DR.. Russels
bill provided for a medical against
mixed Board of Health. Just how
seven in place of three or four doctors
in the Territorial Board of Health
would or could amend the mortality
among Hawaiian infants is not clear.
In most cities of the mainland, lay
members of boards of health are con-
sidered to be healthful balance wheels
to such departments.
But that is not what / wish to speak
about. Admitting that DR.. Russell is
an astute medicO the following as
SumptiOnS upon like question seem
rather unusual, if not remarkable:
The cause of this mortality is the
hereditary specific infection of the ma
tive population; disease that first was
introduced by the sailors of Captain
Cook. and ever afterwards renewed and
spread to enormous proportions by the
whalers and sailors. Parents whose
blood is infected with this specific
poison are unable to propagate. They
bear stillborn children or such that
die in early infancy
IN other countries with similar con-
ditiOns the proper remedy Is found in
the establishment of travelling camp
hospitals. Such hospitals move from
one village to another staying or
months in every place, term necessary
for a substantial treatment of all who
are infected in that locality. The rea-
son is that this disease, especially with
ignorant class of people, cannot be
cured out of doors. Patient must be
taken into the hospital, where a syste-
matte treatment H. given under the care
Of a physician and nurse"
Just what a hereditary specific in
lection" is l do not know. l never
saw one, and do not know whether the
varmint has one leg or sixteen. In
the days when | studied medicine num-
erous diseases were classed as heredi-
tary. tuberculosis was, by the appli-
cation of scientific deductions, based
upon the present germ theories, elimi-
mated from this class. Syphilis (to
which the learned doctor probably re-
fers) has in large measure been rele-
gated to the same category.
Consumption, dropsy syphilis and a
few other human ills are still regarded
by the insurance companies as heredi-
tary; but it is easier today to obtain
insurance under a bad family record
than ten years ago The leading COM
panies now weigh more carefully the
matter of a mans residence and habits
than the cause of the death of his
father or dropscal grandmother.
The charge that Captain Cook and
sailors have left the diseases here that
have decimated the native population
is an old story. That it is true as to
years ago cannot be questioned; but it
certainly does not apply at this time.
There is no Specific infection" going
the rounds now so far as l know. In
Honolulu the Act to Mitigate serves as
a check upon this. In the islands equal
caution is exercised, and, with the eX-
ception of Lahaina and Hilo, no out
side community has been the prey of
Captain Cook and the awful sailor,
while all experience the same heavy
infantile mortality.
The trouble with most physicians is
| that they are too ready to accept and
prOmugate theories. The fallacy of
some of them is made apparent only by
the attempt of blinded laymen to fol-
low them. Now, | will theorize
! little. The redundance of still born
! incidents anon the native population
is not due to "heredity specific infec-
ton" but to two other general and
natural causes, namely: The practice
| of native women in seeking too fire.
quent additions in the sea; second the
use of unnutritious food and the dis
ruption of the nutritive faculties by the
use of okolehao, "swipes" and other
cheap liquors. Both of these practices
are general; that the effect is harmful
cannot be gainsayed.
The mortality among native infants
is largely due to the use of poi as a
food when the child is too young to
digest it, TarO contains a large amount
of starch. In a healthy child saliva
does not appear and the digestive
forces are not in motion until an age
of about six months is attained. Until
there is saliva there can be no diges-
tion of starch, and an infant would
realize as much comfort from a feast
of Spanish moss or dish rags as from
poi at that early period, l have known
uncountable instances in the city of
Honolulu of native mothers feeding
these children upon starch laden poi
when the little ones were only two,
three and four weeks old. 1t is a no.
toriOus fact that Hawaiian mothers
make a practice of giving gin to their
infants. In very small quantities gin
probably would do no harm to a one
mOnther, but superlluity of any liquor
would certainly have an injurious il
not serious effect upon any babe how
ever hearty. | am told that okolehaC
and even "sWipes" are frequently giVer
to infants by mothers in the lower
classes of Hawaiian life. The effect O.
such practice must be about the same
as filling the youngster with load OF
shot
Captain Cooke has been dead more
than a hundred years, and the mucl
abused whalers have long ago deserted
Hawaiian waters. 1t seems about tim'
to cease villifying either of them, and
to get down to practical investigation
and work. First, teach the Hawaiian