The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-04-26

hfuurh ft,h an expression OF dissaiis
faction fum indiv dutia and uafticuiatli
the Hawaiian STAT ! hpl leave tn hfieiIi
state the position ~ The Board 90 ilaalti
in thu matter
Under thr ,tlaiinR laws and fogula.
tous of the Federal u0torniaynt guar
untinc Service, b. kufcr. chief quafhn-
time onitor Of this port, has no uuth.rity
60 prevent any person from landing here
unless u is known that the shin that
brought them came from an Infected
port or a contagious disease g. known 10
have unaffected ts,lf en- route aud IL
duly reported or found by him upon oN-
am nation Of said ship
The board OF Health of this Territory
has no legal right TO detaln any person
in quarantine or exact any measure that
viii tend to Inconvenience them IN any
way In the interests Of public health un-
less 10 can be clearly shown and proven
cyond the possibility Of a doubt by prop
cr evidence that such person or persons
are infected or are carriers Of Infection
and are cudangoring 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-
senting clean bills Of health, particularly
from San Francisco where we know
there are cases Of smallpox.
The Board of Health Us cogni2ant OF
the fact that a person leaving the East
orn and Middle States. presumably In
fcCted 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 fum-
eating the mails when the passengers are
allowed to roam about (unly because we
can't legally stop them), | submit tnat 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 Lisease the mail
is about the best
a person may be in contact with pa
tients 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 uried crusts
In powder,!ke 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 |
ters 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 |
fumigated 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 |
heir clothing in their own interests or
would have been forced to 40 so by the |
one person on train or
ship would not begin to do the harm In
he way of spreading the disease as one
etter Containing dried crusts from a
smallpox patienD dropped in a mail bag. /
While | feel very sorry that the public /
should suffer lne Inconvenience of hav-