The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-20


there is little of the disease remaining in
Honolulu and no case among the white
population No case exists among the
shipping The disease has thus far been
almost exclusively confined to the ma
tives, and efficient measures have recent
ly been adopted to prevent Its further
| ravages 1 am permitted to name and
recommend the following physicians,
either of whom will visit your vessel, II
YOU desire it, upon the terms indicated:
Drs. Hardy. Newcomb, Ford Lathrop.
Hoffman, Hillebrand Smyth and Schel.
With much respect, l have the honor
TO be. etc. B. F. ANGEL,
United States Consul.
It was a harsh rule to make, but 1t
was the only thing to do to prevent
second epidemic, as it was ascertained
that not one-half of the crews had ever
been vaccinated. Only one man in all
the fleet had the disease, and he recov-
cred During the epidemic but one for
| eigner died; he was the man who had
charge of the large hospital on Queen
street He had had smallpox before, and
at the outbreak of the epidemic volun-
teered his services, and did a noble
work he nevertheless took the disease,
and his was one of the worst cases /
have ever seen. I am sorry 1 cannot re-
call his name. Some fifty-od of the ma
tive constables died of the disease in the
discharge of their duties as officers. /
regret that the record book of the Com
missioners cannot be found. 1t, with all
the reports and documents, was delivered
to the New Board of Health, and l have
not been able to find 1t; so / cannot give
the number Of cases and deaths from
that source However, I will give the
numbers as accurately as possible The
following estimate is that of the Com
missioners of Public Health in the ''Po-
lynesian" OF January a. 1854: Number of
cases. 6,405: number of deaths, ASA
death rate of almost 80 per cent.
The expenses of the Health Commits
sioners, which amounted to s20,115.A,
were provided for by the Legislature,
April g. 1854, in the form of bill Qn-
troduced by Mr.. Marsh) for the relief of
the King and Privy Council: and the
rules being suspended, it was read
second and third time, and passed. Prior
to the passing of this BILL DR.. Lathrop
sent in a claim for $500 for attendance
on sick natives during the epidemic. The
Legislature sent a circular letter to all
the physicians in Honolulu. asnlng what
their claims were. All disavowed any
claim, with the exceptions of DR.. La
throp for $500, DR.. Newcomb for $4,000,
and DR.. Hillebrand for $500; these were
referred to the Committee on Claims,
who reported, May 16 that the petition
of DR.. Lathrop had no legal claim-the
Health Commissioners having promised
no remuneration, their powers not au-
thorizing them to do SO. Mr.. Harris
read a minority report, recommending
the payment of S5A Both reports were
referred to committee of the whole,
which. on July 10. unanimously passed
the following preamble and resolution:
/ Whereas, during the prevalence of the
late epidemic, the Royal Health Commits
sioners, with their deputies, the medical
practitioners throughout the Islands, and
very many others, 10Th foreigner and
native, most generously contributed their
services gratuitously in affording assist
ance to the sick and suffering poor; and
whereas the value of their services can
not be estimated in money, and it being
moreover out of our power to recon-
pense them: therefore it is
Resolved, That this House do, in be-
half of the people whom we represent,
render our most sincere thanks to all
who in that time of calamity rendered
such gratuitous and invaluable aid in
alleviating the distress of the suffering
sick and dying people of these Islands
HEALTH COMMISSIONERS
May it Please Your Majesty: At the
time of Your Majesty's first confiding
to us the responsible duties attaching to
spread Of the smallpox by vaccination,
Isolation and appointment of sub-com-
missioners on the other Islands with
power equal to our own. Finding that
the disease had already been too much
spread on Oahu to allow of the proven
ton Of its general dissemination on that
Island, 1t became our great object to
hinder its extension to the other Islands.
In this attempt we have received the
most efficient support from the several
sub-commissioners, whose local knowl-
edge enabled them to make regulations
adapted to the peculiarities of their va
rious fields of labor, and to which regu-
lations We have given our strongest sup
port. On Oahu where the disease ragged
In Its virulence, hospitals We're erected
and furnished with everything necessary
for the reception of all the sick who
could be induced to enter them. Medi-
cfnes have been supplied to all who
needed them. Every medical man or 9TH
err intelligent person willing to assist the
sick, either volunteered or was engaged
for pay. Wherever nurses could be pro-
cured, they were employed, and a band
of prisoners was devoted to the revolt
ing office of burying the dead
The patient exertions of these latter
assistants render them, in our humble
opinion, highly deserving of Your Maj
esty's merciful consideration. AS the
sick have been strictly prohibited, of
course, from going into the kalo patches
for food, we have been obliged to sup
ply provisions generally in such form as
tea, sugar. rice, arrow root, etc. The
distribution of these articles has given
rise to some abuse, but has been a mat
ter of necessity on our part. One great
item of expense has been the reimburse
ment of those whose infected houses we
were obliged to destroy, and there will
be still heavier calls upon the funds in
our hands on the same ground In order
to purify the town in view of the ap-
preaching season of the whaling fleets
arrival, 2on which so much of the prosper
ity of the Islands generally depends. a
considerable sum of money will have to
be outlayed; a very few cases of small
pox among the crews might produce, a
panic that would greatly prevent bust
ness, and as the sailors are in the habit
of entering almost every premise in and
about town, it becomes doubly necessary
to annihilate all possibly infected places
The clothes, also, of those discharged
from the hospitals had to be burned, and
the parties supplied with other and un-
F@1A