The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-04
.ANAEM|A Of
PORTO R|CANS
Official Points for
the Hawaiian
Doctors.
The TROUBLE
IS DIAGNOSED
Scientific Result of Investigations
of the Army Surgeons in
Porto Rico.

FOEtO NiCO.
! Captain Shaker, L. S. A. of Camp Nc
Kinley, is just in receipt of a copy of
the report of the Military Governor of
Porto Rico, sent him by Major John
Van r. Hoff, Surgeon U. S. A, who
made a valuable report on the health
of Porto Rico The report on the prev
alence of anaemia is of especial in
terest to Hawaii on account of the
large Importation Of Porto Ricans as
is discussed at length and the military
surgeons belle ye they are now in a
position to treat the disease which has
carried off more Porto Ricans than al
most any other malady.
Lieut. Bailey K Ashford, assistant
surgeon, U. S. A, has discovered that
the disease is due to the presence of a
parasite in which diagnosis he is sup
ported by eminent medical authority.
cent of all deaths was due to anaemia
| since when there has been steady
| and gradual increase until in 1899,
22.5 per cent of all deaths came from
! this cause. During the seven months
covered by his statistics there were
6,456 deaths due to anaemia. In his
opinion the present rate of forty-two
| no nd would ha reduced TO thlr-
ty-one if the causes of anaemia were
eliminated. These causes are of such a
nature as to affect the poorest people
almost alone.
! A majority of the islands population
is composed of poems who are scat
tered over every portion of the coun-
try, living in poor novels and subsist-
ing on the merest apology for food.
This is the class in which the large
mortality occurs. Major Hoff states
there seems to have been no effort made
by the resident physicians to investigate
the causes of this condition and de-
finite knowledge on this point is lack
ing The poverty of the population,
with the resultant lack of nutrition, is
probably in itself the cause of small
per cent of these deaths but he states
that this, in the great majority of cases,
is merely contributory to a disease
which has long been recognized in all
tropical countries, but only practically
demonstrated in Porto Rico since the
American occupation, and by an army
surgeon. He refers to EMBELLISHMENTS.
At Ponce, in December of 1899, Lieut.
Ashford made what seems to have been
the first record of the discovery of the
i ankylostoma on the island. His official
report. which is partly as follows, will
give Hawaiian doctors a clue to the
proper treatment g anaemic Porto Ri
cans now here:
I have the honor to report upon TWEEN
ty cases of the severe anaemia common
Iy seen among the poor of this island
One of the first observations made
among professional men here is the prev
alencee of anaemia, especially among the
Door This is at first attributed usually
to starvation or poor food, then to ma
laria and then to the climate" Through
the kindness of the physicians of Ponce
: / am able to state something as to the
mode of treatment adopted up to TINS
: time Some have observed that the ig-
norant peon treated himself by purging
with beneficial effects for a time, and q
relapse to previous conditions soon after
wards Iron and arsenic have been pre-
scribed largely, but with little benefit
. Some physicians have frankly declared il
, beyond their power to cope with the dis
ease which they regarded as PERM
cious. progressive anaemia of obscure orr
gin The stools have been examined
. but no worms being evident, this as a
; cause was dismissed. 1 was led to ex,
, anime the faces for the ova of ankylos
toma duodenaie and found them in great
. numbers Soon after a large dose of thy
mol brought away the parasites, male
; and female No sooner had 1 stated my
results to the physicians of this city thar
they agreed as to the diagnosis and veri,
; fed the parasite and its eggs. Their teS-
J timony is as follows:
: l. This disease is the most destructive
and general disease of Porto Rico.
q 1t is found typically and very fire.
auently among the poor and badly fed
g. Most cases are similar.
II A. Bad food and bad hygiene is respon
q sible for much of its power for evil.
;. Blood foods have never exercised
more than a temporary influence on the
+ course of this disease.
6. Improvement follows purgation.
q I Up to this time the existence of thi:
: parasite had not been proved on this isl
! and, or. if proved. not within thei1
b knowledge.
In studying this disease / have taker
twenty cases which / considered typica
of Porto Rican anaemia,'' or "tropica
, chlorosis." These cases were selected
q from the provisional field hospital foi
h INDECENT and sick Porto Ricans estab
. lished after the flood of August 10, 1899
in this city.