The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-20
CLEAN MINGLING WITH
UNCLEAN AT LEPER DEPOT
Visiting ALegisIators at KaIihi Receiving Station
Yesterday Afternoon Sharply Criticised the
Lack of Proper Segregation There.

The entire House of Representatives
and a committee of four from the
Senate, consisting of President Russell,
and Senators Kalauokalani. Clarence
Crabbe and Kanuha, visited the Leper
Receiving Station yesterday afternoon
at Kalihi, for the purpose of investI-
eating the method of examination and
| condemnation. Several members of
the medical profession from the States,
who are visiting Shriners, were invit-
ed guests, among them being DR.. Cal
houn, of Seattle; DR.. Barth, of Grand
Rapids, Michigan, and DR.. Bunting, of
Easton, Pa.
Fifty-one lepers and suspects were
examined by Drs. Emerson. Cooper,
Howard, Myers and Mcdonald, in the
presence of the investigating law max
ers, who asked many questions and OBJ
served very closely while the doctors
sought for the symptoms of the dread
disease. After the examination they
made a tour of the leper settlement IN
the enclosure, and made individual
inspection of the habitatfon arrange
mentS.
Each member of the investigating
body went at the task of inspection in
a thorough and conscientious manner,
and no imperfect detail or particular
escaped his sharp eyes. One of the
first things to arouse inquiry and call
for immediate diSapprovaI was the
system of combining all suspects to-
gether, whether there is merely pos
sibility of suspicion, or conclusive evil
dence upon the body of the suspect.
The inmates are allowed to freely run
about and mingle, men, women and
children, and an example of this which
pointed strongly to the improperly
and danger of the system came up
with the first few patients examined.
Several of the suspects showed the
first symptoms, such as the falling out
of the eyebrows, partial paralysis OF
the eyelids, or of the fingers and toes,
and the breaking out of sores on the
soles of the feet. Presently, however,
comely young woman was brought
in, the only possible symptom of the
disease upon whom being slight par
aIysis of one of her hands, which did
not necessarily indicate leprosy, and
nothing developed in the examination
pointing to the existence of the plague
in her case.
Following, came an old man. his feet
bound up and much decayed. and at
first glance running sores and repul-
siye eruptions of the skin left no room
for doubt that he was leper with an
advanced form of the disease. This
old man, suffering the ravages of the
loathsome malady, was allowed to
pass, without restriction, among those
unfortunates who were merely sus-
pected, through some slight indication,
which might be a mistaken one, of
possessing the disease.
There was much comment upon this
point among the legislators, and sew
eral other things occasioned surprise
and unhesitating disapproval.
"Of course it is a difficult thing to
handle" said one representative, land
the system must be perfected gradu-
ally. but this system of penning them
all intogether, the loathsomely afflict-
ed ones with those who may have no
trace Of the disease at all; why, It's
wrong, and there must be something
done about it,
The members of the examining board
stated that this point was one which