The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-25
Letter From DR.. Raymond.

tultor Advertiser: AS the precautlon-
airy measure of mail fumigation has
brought forth an expression of dissatis-
faction from individuals and particularly
the Hawaiian Star, 1 beg leave to briefly
state the position of the Board of Health
in the matter.
Under the existing laws and regula-
tons of the Federal Government Quar-
antine Service, DR.. Kofer, chief quaran-
tine officer of this port, has no authority
to prevent any person from landing here
unless it is known that the ship that
brought them came from an infected
port or a contagious disease IS Known to
have manifested itself en- route and is
duly reported or found by him upon ex-
animation of said ship.
The Board of Health of this Territory
] has no legal right to detain any person
in quarantine or exact any measure that
will tend to inconvenience them in any
way in the interests of public health UNI
less it can be clearly shown and proven
beyond the possibility of doubt by prop
er evidence that such person or persons
are infected or are carriers of infection
and are endangering the public health.
1t is obvious that the Board of Health of
this Territory is powerless to act under
such circumstances as have confronted
it in the case of soldiers from the trans
port and from other incoming ships pre-
sentng clean bills of health, particularly
from San Francisco, where we know
there are cases of smallpox.
The Board of Health is cognizant Of
the fact that person leaving the East
ern and Middle States, presumably in
fected upon the day of departure, could
reach these shores before the expiration
of the period of incubation of smallpox.
While very much dislike crossing
swords with the medical editor of the
Star, who charges the Board of Health
with having been inconsistent in fumi-
eating the mails when the passengers are
allowed to roam about (only because we
can't legally stop them) / submit that if
he has any knowledge of the disease and
has had any experience in the care and
treatment of the disease, as the writer
has had, he will agree with me that of all
the zymotic diseases smallpox stands as
the typical, and also of all the methods
of dissemination of the Cisease the mail
is about the best
! A person may be in contact with pa
tents suffering from smallpox in certain
stages of the disease prior to the desqua-
native stage in particular and not be-
come infected but when convalescence
has been established and the dried crusts
in powderiike form is distributed through
the room and the whole house, what
guarantee have we that writing paper
and envelopes are sterile or do not be-
come contaminated? We know that let
tiers come from all parts of the States,
what guarantee have we that letters
have not been written by smallpox pa
tents in the convalescent stage. poorly
FUN gated or perhaps not at all, and
mailed to this country? We have on the
other hand every reason to believe that
the large majority of passengers have
not been in actual contact with smallpox
cases, and if they had in all probability
would have made an effort to sterilize
their clothing in their own interests or
would have been forced to 90 so by the
authorities. One person on a train or
ship would not begin to do the harm in
the way of spreading the disease as one
letter Containing dried crusts from a
smallpox patien0 dropped in a mail bag.
While / feel very sorry that the public
should suffer tie Inconvenience of hav-