The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-05-16
THE HEALTH
BOARD ACTS
Dr.Cooper's Reply
to EmneIuth
Charge.
ROUTINE MATTERS
ARE TAKEN UP
The New Sanitary Authorities Get
Into Action Quickly and Do
Good Work.

Il
tended to. All the members were pres
ent, President Cooper presiding.
The first matter taken up was that of
action in regard to the concurrent res
olution passed by the Senate and House
on May 18th, and Representative EN-
meluth's resolution concerning the
Porto Ricans on Quarantine Island.
DR.. Cooper read his letter to Hon.
~. A Akina, speaker of the House,
which letter was delivered yesterday
morning. It was as follows:
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge
the letter of even date signed s. Meheu-
la, Clerk of the House, transmitting
House resolution Nc. 4. This commune
cation with enclosure reached me at 2
p. m and I Immediately gave my atten-
ton to its subject matter The resolu-
ton contains but one clause directed to
me in my official capacity, to wit:
That until the committee do report
the Board of Health is directed to per-
nit no persons of this Territory to- de-
part from said Quarantine Islands"
The facts in this case are these:
The s. s. Colon was boarded last even
ing by the Federal authorities. no case
of contagious or infectious disease found
and the vessel and passengers passed as
clean.
The Board of Health at a recent meet
ing. in view of the outbreak of smallpox
among Porto Ricans on Kauai passed
the following resolution:
Resolved, That the Board of Health
shall cause persons and effects to be
disinfected whenever such persons or
effects are in such condition as to be
nuisances, sources of filth, or causes of
sickness, endangering the public health
and safety"
The executive officer of the Board call
ed on me at o'clock this morning, re-
questing me, as attending physician to
the Queens Hospital, to examine three
patients on board the s. s. Colon, for
whom admission was desired. 1t is one
of the rules of the hospital that there
shall be admitted no patient who has
contagious disease, and it is my duty to
examine into suspicious cases before ad-
mission. In that capacity l visited the
Colon and saw the three patients. The
ships surgeon gave a diagnosis of inter-
mittent fever for the two male patients,
and reported the female as having suf-
fered from a miscarriage of six
months foetus the preceding night.
These patients were brought to the
Queens Hospital An acute case of ma
mia was reported on board and the pa
tient will be committed to the insane
asylum through the proper channel
Meantime through the courtesy of the
Federal authorities the disinfecting and
sterilizing plants on Quarantine Island
had been placed at the disposal of the
Board of Health and the executive Off
Ger had arranged for the reception there
of the passengers of the ship, to carry
out the purpose of the Board as ex-
pressed in the resolution quoted.
When the resolution of the Legislature
reached me, at p. M, 1 very shortly
learned that already all but about fifty
of the Porto Ricans had been placed
aboard local boats, they having first
been bathed and their clothing and be-
longings thoroughly sterilized by heat.
The remainder. those to whom the reso-
luton of the Legislature would apply,
had been treated according to our plans
and were@ready to depart.
l found that Quarantine Island, which
is now thoroughly and completely under
the control of the United States, is alb
solutely wl.nout facilities for caring FOR
these people. There are now held on the
Island by the United States authorizes
a number of persons VINO nave peen ex-
posed to smallpox and measles, under
going the usual quarantine attention
The facilities for housing, feeding and
caring in general for the Porto Ricans
the present establishment being absorb
ed now by the persons held there. And
while they are capable of expansion,
would hardly have deemed it wise TO
quarter fifty women and children in such
close proximity to smallpox suspects
even if the local board had been In con-
troll
The admission for fumigation OIL the
Porto Ricans and their enects on quar-
antine Island was through the courtesy
of the Federal authorities, the local
board having no jurisdiction in the
premises.
In this situation the arrangements
were made for securing the use OF the
channel wharf and warehouse. This is
a commodious structure, onering plenty
| of room, and was taken by the Board
of Health as place of refuge only after
| the promise of representatives OF the
| Planters Association that there would
| be supplied plenty of clean bedding ana
ample supplies of food. TIE sanitary
arrangements are under our supervision.
This the local authorities considered as
| a much more advisable arrangement
than to send the immigrants back to the
ship in which they had spent the past
, weak which would have meant a repe-
tition of the fumigating process on the
morrow.
| In conclusion, sir, I would say that l
consulted the Attorney. General as to