The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-07
THE DRUG
BILL.
Expensive Item of
the Board Of
Health.
RAYMOND WOULD
DO AWAY WITH 1T
Law To Reach Sellers of AduIter-
ated Milk Will Be Drawn
Up at Once.

drugs furnished them and paid
for out of the Territorial treasury
were the subjects of discussion in
the Board of Health yesterday after
noon. The question of economy in con-
nection with dispensing with the SER
vices of the Territorial physicians was
brought up by President Raymond. He
spoke earnestly in favor of radical
changes in that department of the
Board of Health and urged reforms in
the present system of salaries and the
furnishing of drugs.
The whole question arose over the
Irequisition of DR.. Mallory, a newIy-a
pointed physician for Kona district,
Hawaii, who asked for S44 worth of
drugs. 1t was reported that he was al
ready overdrawn on the drug list. 1t
was questioned whether he should be
allowed to overdraw and the discus
sion finally merged into the question of
whether the Territory or the physicians
themselves should supply the medicines
of their INDECENT patients. 1t was stat
ed that in the latter case it would ma
terially cut down the expenses of the
Board. Nine thousand dollars had been
appropriated by the last Legislature
for the purchase of drugs and of this
only $1,000 had been expended.
President Raymond said he was
aware of the labors performed by the
Territorial physicians in the country
districts where they had to travel many
miles a day to treat the sick indigents.
In the estimate prepared by him for the
next period he had left out the amount
for drugs, based on the last appropri-
alton. This did not include the supply
for the Honolulu Dispensary, which
was on another basis from those in the
country. His idea was to employ Ter
ritorial physicians and pay them on a
scale according to the population of
! their districts and the amount of
ground covered In other words, it
meant a reduction in their incomes. In
answer to DR.. Cooper, the president
said the largest drug account of any
Territorial physician was 5000, but the
taverage was s125 all around. DR.. Coop
ler thought for professional men the
salaries were small enough and to de-
! duct from their salaries would be to
give them an income of but $500 a year
in many instances. To deduct $500 a
Iyear-the cost of the drugs furnished
would work a hardship upon them. If
the drugs had to be purchased with
the compensation for services rendered
would be ridiculously small
Mr.. Dole was of the opinion that for
the physicians to contribute drugs out
of their own pockets the temptation
would be strong with them not to fur
nish what was really needed. He did
not believe they should contribute out
of their own pockets what should come
from the Territorial treasury DR.. En-
erson agreed with Mr.. Dole. The two
physicians in the Kona districts were
not overpaid for the amount Of ground
they frequently had to cover in one
day. Forty and fifty miles a day were
often covered by them in their vista
ton of the sick ones. Mr.. Dole further
stated that the tendency of the measure
was to make the horse carry more OF
load than he was capable of. DR.
Cooper did not think 5000 for drugs in g
populous district was a heavy drair
upon the treasury. DR.. Raymond said
|. as far as he was concerned personally
r he desired to see all physicians become
wealthy and retire, but he thought the
; tendency was quite the reverse.
Doctors go to their graves poorly
: paid" said he. meditatively, "unles!
}. they go in for bonds, stocks and few
other dividend-preducing affairs
''Or cattle ranches" quoth DR.. Coop
d er. The president took the allusion L
: his 100000 Maui cattle ranch will
: smiling equanimity.
However" he continued, there is nj
/. personal feeling in the matter. 1t i!
only to reduce the expenses. The call.
= for drugs have often been for the mos
expensive quality and entirely unnec
= lessary for public patients. The ques
ton of economy is one that this de
: partment is bound to consider becaus
as a matter of fact the revenues of tn,
lcountry have been cut down and it il
e absolutely necessary for this depart
: ment, as we'll as in every other, t.
s Ieconomize. Two hundred dollars il
r each case seems small but in the ag
e gregate it is large amount to tn
/, Government.
:. Conditions have changed here
e American laws have gone into effect
= The rule all over the world is that tn
It lindigent persons are not treated nearl,
s so well as they are under the system
y lin vogue in Hawai-. I honestly believ
: that to be consistent with the othe
e parts of the United States the physi
clans should be done away with. Their