The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-21
EARLY DEATHS.


tuguese and Japanese each supply an
alarming quota. One may take the
months haphazard during last year and
see. In January 1900, there was a to-
tai of 176 deaths. The deaths among
children under one year of age amount
ed to AZ and of these 20 were Hawaiian,
a little less than fifty per cent, Chi
nese, Portuguese and 6 Japanese.
That was a particularly bad month
for we had the plague and 30 deaths
were counted to that alone. Moreover
it was a time when a large portion of
the population was moved away into
camps, and there may have been ex-
posture which caused a considerable in
FAINT mortality.
Let us look six months later. The
city had been cleaned up most thor
oughly and was in better sanitary
condition than it had been for years.
The population had settled into its nor
NAL condition, yet out of death list of
105 there were 81 infants under one year.
of age. OF these Is were Hawaiian,
more than fifty per cent, were Chi
nese, Portuguese, japanese. Going
ahead six months more, one finds that
out of a mortality list of liz in Deem
Der, 1900, there were % infant
deaths of which IA We're Hawaiian,
more, very much more than so per cent,
2 Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese.
One is apt, after looking at these fig
xkyhx
been so great a mortality among in
fants. We know that the infant NOR
tality is great any where, but it is GER
tainly abnormally great here. In look
ing through the causes of death, one
cannot find out, because causes of death
are given in lump sums and are not
given by ages. Statistics away from
here when investigated on the lines
which this article treats of generally,
show that the deaths among infants are
largely caused by malnutrition. An eX-
animation of the Board of Health rec
ords for the year 1900, show that the
deaths from malnutrition are very
small in number, so small indeed that
they need not be considered when one
is looking for causes for the large in
FAINT mortality. In Hamburg recently
it was found that eight per cent of the
deaths among the infants took place
from malnutrition and it was consider
ed that the milk supply had largely to
be blamed, the result being fierce cru
SADIE upon the milk dealers who were
found to have been adulterating their
milk wholesale.
The infant mortlity here certainly
comes from the same cause in part.
Our milk supply is decidedly not up to
the proper standard, and hard fight
is being made by the food Inspector to
bring it up to where it should be. In
this he has the full support of the pub
lie, but technical difficulties stand much
in his way, and the Legislature, unfor-
tunately has not cleared it for him as
it should have done.
But the large number of deaths of
children under one year of age cannot
be put down to the milkman, though
he is presumably responsible for some.
When we look at the disproportiOnate
percentage of deaths among Hawaiian
infants as against deaths of the same
class in other nationalities we are
bound to look for other causes than
mere malnutrition.
This is a problem for our leading and
progressive physicians to open up.
Why is it that the death rate amopo the
infant Hawaiians is so large? In this
case it is not because in the aggregate
the total Hawaiian population is so
large. Up to the present we have not
had any official figures as to the rela-
tive race numbers of our city. We
know that we have a population of
practically 100000 How that 10000 is
divided among the various races we
do not know, but this is certain. that
considerably less than fifty per cent is
Hawaiian. Therefore if over fifty per
cent of the infant mortality is counted
among the Hawaiians. there is some
thing seriously wrong which should be
looked into. -sa'
Here was a question which the Leg
islature might have considered and APP
DOlnltu d COMMITTEE " lhNNoNl6 elICs
But this has a practical side of hard
work and no spectacular chances,
which would not commend the question
10 the Legislative members. 1t is more
interesting to wrangle over offices than
it is to try and build up and strengthen
their own people. Others may give at
tention to it, but the Hawaiian Legis-
lator has no idea of wasting his pre-
cious time upon so uncongenial topic.
Yet to the Hawaiian there should be
no more important a matter than the
preservation of his race, How can
political ascendency be kept up unless
the race proves fecunditive, and being
that, the offspring hardy. Statistics
show us that the race is fecunditive
but our mortuary reports show that
the offspring is carried off before it has
a chance to develop. There are count
less huds hut few flowers and less