The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-08-26
WINGED WORDS.

ing of the British Congress on tubercu-
losis, which was held in the latter end
of July. Topographic reports of the
address have been published, but the
full text only reached here by last
mail. The address bears so strongly
upon conditions here, not only in the
matter of tuberculosis, but in the case
of other diseases, that it will bear COM
ment several times.
The learned professor and sanitary
reformer. has no doubts about the ul-
innate outcome of the fight against
consumption. Others may doubt the
possibility of combating a disease
(which has existed for thousands of
years and has spread all over the
world" but says DIR. Koch, this is by
no means my opinion. This is a conflict
which we may enter with a surely
founded prospect of success"
To those who have followed up the
subject of tuberculosis on these Islands,
who have collated the evidence which
shows how the disease is spreading
here, and what a menace it is becoming
to the entire population, these words,
coming from the source they do, are
most heartening. But the professor
points out that to eradicate consump-
ton requires not only the efforts Of the
medical profession as a unit, but the
force of the State and the assistance Of
the public. i... .,.....
In combating disease the custom has
been to treat all diseases according to
a general scheme. And here we get the
first ray of light, not only upon tuber-
culosis but upon many other ills that
we dread. Says Doctor Koch, mo mat
ter whether the pestilence in question
was cholera, plague or leprosy, isola-
ton, quarantine and useless disinfec-
ton were resorted to-" Each disease
must be fought in a different way 1t
is very much like fishing you can
catch salmon with a fly, but you can
not catch them with worm.
Taking some of the ills which are of
most interest to us, the lecturer draws
attention to plague, cholera and lepro-
sy. With these we, on the Islands, have
been acquainted and have rushed to
heroic extremes to prevent. With re-
gard to plague the infection except in
cases of plaeue-pneumonia is not trans
mitted from person to person, and this
form of plague is infrequent. You may
keep up quarantine, you may disinfect
goods, you may fumigate ships and
houses, you may burn them up, even,
Int ,,.in to,
son is that the germs of plague are
not transmitted by human beings, or
by clothes, but by rats. If you could
destroy all the rats, or you could alb
solutely prevent rats from coming
ashore, you could keep out plague. This
has been done at Singapore, and though
pIaPue RACES both East and. West from
Singapore, that port is immune from
plague, but then there is so large
bounty on rats that man can live for
three or four days upon the proceeds
of the slaughter of a rodent. Quaran-
tine, isolation and disinfection are of
little use in dealing with plague, and
80 is the application of antitoxic serum.
Cholera on the other hand may be
transmitted directly from human being
to human being, but water is the main
and most dangerous propagation and
therefore in combating cholera, water
has to be considered. With care in this
direction cholera has been kent out of
Germany without any obstruction to
traffic. When we think how cholera
INSTRUCTED our traffic here, and how |
hysterical we became, and all our
neighbors became about plague what |
a set of ignorant fools we appear to |
have been, and how'much needless mis-
chief we have done in our ignorant en- |
deavors to stave off what we thought |
was an impending calamity.
DR.. Koch then cites leprosy, and here
he points out a disease which is only |
transmitted from person to person. This
however only when they come into
close contact as in small dwellings and
bed rooms. In this disease. according
ly, immediate transmission plays the
main part, transmission by animals,
water or the like is out of the question.
The combatiVe measures, accordingly
must be directed against the close in
tercourse between the sick and the
healthy. The only way to prevent this
intercourse is to isolate the patients"
This latter sentence coming from the
lips it does ought to be taken to heart
by that section Of the Home Rule Party
which wanted to, turn the patients at
the Kalaupapa settlement loose upon
the community. Segregation, and Sc
gregation orly is the method of fighting
leprosy. In this we have followed the
right path, and2ft IS satisfactory to
know that we Rayg3 done so, ''E
Using these illustrations and other
as a basis, DR.. Koch attacks his main.
subject of tuberculosis. In combating
disease we must strike at the root of
the evil and not squander force in sub
ordinate ineffective measures. The
1av 80 ,,I,. Ia -. |