The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-05-09

The report of DR.. ]. T. Mcdonald
oacter1ologist of the Board of Health
covering the months of March an.
April, which was read at yesterdays
board meeting, is as follows:
Honolulu, T. H, May 1, 1901
j. H. Raymond, NJ D., president Board
of Health, Territory of Hawaii
Sir: L beg leave to submit my report
upon the meteorological work of the de-
partner. for the months of March and
April
hal1hi Receiving Station.-As it is now
generally believed by the most competent
authorities the world over that the sine
qua non of leprosy is the presence of a
specific bacterium, the Bacillus Leprae,
1t seems to me that too much stress can
not be placed upon the Importance of
EFFORTS to demonstrate its presence in all
cases admitted to the station and partic-
ulariy in those classed as suspects in
whom the clinical symptoms of the dis
case are not fully and satisfactorily de-
veloped.
After repeated efforts with negative
results, 1 have come to discredit the
statement of Ball of Philadelphia, and
other authors who claim that the serum
from vesicant applied to skin lesion
shows the bacilli in large numbers In
more pronounced cases 1 have demon
strated it in the exudations from plantar
pedis and other ulcers, but never once
from the serum or scrapings from the
base of a bleb produced by a vesicant ap-
piled to the most suspicious lesion to be
found on the body.
The method which has thus far proved
most satisfactory in my experience has
been the excelsior of small wedge-shap-
ed section from the most suspicious lesion
to include the simultaneous tissue with
I, ,Ir;
the wound with a single suture. The
piece is placed in physiological salt So
luton, where it remains until convenient
to examine. 1t is then placed in a small
mortar with half a dozen drops of the
salt solution and thoroughly ground and
triturated until the piece almost disap-
pears in an Opaque soupy-looking fluid.
A small drop of this is evenly spread on
a cover slip. dried, fixed, stained with
| carbol-fuchsin, decolorized in acid solu-
ton, contrast stained with methelyne
blue, dried and mounted in balsam or da-
mar. l have demonstrated the baciuus
| in some instances where the clinical
symptoms alone would fairly have justi-
| fed the verdict of suspect only. In each
of the last three cases admitted the ba-
| cillus has been demonstrated by the
above method. While it is not claimed
| that this method can compare with the
more elaborate and tedious process OF
| hardening and section cutting for scien-
| tific study of the morphology of the ba-
cillus, yet for diagnostic purposes alone
it is at once rapid and efficient.
In the five cases of declared patients
retained for experimental treatment, the
regular use of chaulmoogra oil, admin
istered hypoderudcally, has been contin-
ued, with results noted thus far only
confirmatopy of what has already long
ago been observed by Others namely
/ that in a certain proportion of cases, II
| seems to inhibit the progress of the dis
ease, while in others it produces no eff
feet whatever. All the patients take il
| willingly and cheerfully, although its ad
| ministration must necessarily be some.
what painful In one instance only, g
| patient 70 years of age, an injection was
| followed by inflammation and abcess
| from which, however. he made a goo6
| recovery.
| We have had one case of facial erysip
elias of considerable severity, the maxi
mum temperature being 104.5 degrees, bu
the patient made an uninterrupted ant
| complete recovery. With the exception
| of one Or two cases of influenza, the
health of the inmates has been good; II
fact, the physical condition of some o.
| those more recently admitted has i'm
proved, as shown by the healing Of plan
tar pedis and other ulcers which the pa
tents declare have existed severa
months or even years.
Bubonic Plague-An outline of my
work in connection with the recent case
of plague has already been communicat
ed to you in a special report March =
and need not be repeated here.
Summary.-Visits to Kalihi, 10; post
n1ortems, %; microscopic slides stained
and mounted, 143; cultures made, II; ami
mails inoculated, 4.
Respectfully submitted,
| J. It. MDONALD.