Evening star., 1901-10-16

roWed or leonine face. with ear tooes elon-
gated ard alce-ating surfaces. and from
he slightest anaesthetic form affecting
perhaps, only the ulnar nerve to the most
revolving mutilations. The leper boys have
ORGANIZED band. and they played a num-
Der OF selections for us. They were dressed
In very neat uniforms, and played /
thought, marSelously well
Ihere were several well-advanced cases
OF tupercular leprosy among them, and it
Was plain that this band would soon lose
at least tive of its members on account
causes
mis- fact made their entertainment
ratner pathetic one. We visited the bath
rooms used in connection with the Gcto
treatment, which, by the way. | was in
formed was the only treatment regularly
carried out at the settlement. The patients
are pathed two or three times daily in
warm water of a temperature from 80 de-
grees to 100 degrees F. An infusion of a
Few ounces of hichiyoo bark together with
certain proportion of taifunshi and sui
phur, is placed in each bath. In ccnnec-
tlon with the bath certain remedial agents
are used internally. These are given in the
Iorm OF tea and also Of a pill Their
nature is unknown. | was told that by
promoting cleanliness and free perspira-
tion the Goto baths were beneficial
Inc party now returned to Kalaupapa
and visited the Bishop Home for lepsr
girls. This is managed by the Catholic
sisters, and has at this writing l09 inmates
Inc institution presented particularly
neat and well-kept appearance. The wards
were nicely kept and the patients seemed
very comfortable. l did not notice very
many advanced cases of leprosy, except in
the hospital where there were several pre-
sentlng the most marked deformities, and
apparently In an almost moribund state
In one case the nose had been completely
ABSORBED. noticed here one leper mother
with a nonleprous child 1 was informed
tnat there were seventy-eght such chill
dren in the settlement The board of health
transfers to the kapiolani Home in Homo
lulu, the nonleprous children of lepers
provided the consent of the parents is
given.
To Prevent ContaEion
THE board of health has Just inaug,rat-
ed new system for preventing the lepers
and their relatives and friends from en-
bracing and kissing each other during this
annual visit. 1t consists in marching the
visitors Immediately from the steamer
landing to a corral with a double fence
The friends are compelled to remain in
SIDE this inclosure, and the lepers al
lowed TO gather around and talk to them
through the bars. AS there is little use
In sending lepers to Molokai If their
1rlendS are to be allowed to visit and es-
tablish with them the intercourse referred
TO ABOVE. this measure must appeal even
to the lay mind being one absolutely
necessary for the protection of the COM
munity at large. While before visitors
were allowed to go to Molokai only Cnce
a year, under the corral system they are
to be allowed to visit their unfortunate
friends and relatives at any time.
"A new home, the Sea View House, has
been recently built at Kalaupapa FOR the
helpless lepers. This is a very substantial
not to say somewhat imposing structure
There are twenty-six inmates here vino are
cared for and fed by the steward i'm charge
and his assistants.
AT noon the party repaired to the SUI
per1ntendents home where the board Of
health had provided luncheon. The house
is large and spacious, and is surrounded
by well-kept grounds. No lepers are ever
allowed within this inclosure. Over 800
lepers had assembled in front of the gate
OF this place by the time luncheon was
over. ana the visiting party were given
concert by the Kalaupapa band and
kalaupapa quintette. After this was over
the president of the board of health an
nounced that he was ready to listen TO
any complaints or petitions which the as
sembled crowd had to Law before him The
grievances proved to be remarkably few in
number and either trivial or unreasonable
In nature. The board of health store was
then visited. This is kept by a leper, an
employe of the board, and 1t not Unlike
the average country store of the better
class The receipts in 1900 amounted TO
$12, All. 45. As the necessities of life IN
cluding clothes, are furnished free to
every leper, the output of this amount of
money yearly seems remarkable and shows
that even II hope is being deferred. the
leper is in some ways as susceptible to the
us.
There were eOe lepers and 164 clean
persons at the settlement at the time of
our visit OF the clean persons, sixty
seven were kokuas or helpers, ie persons
who feed and take care of helpless lepers;
nineteen were In the administrative depart
ment including the superintendent. his as
sistant, the Catholic brothers and sisters
and servants, and seventy-eght were non
leprous children of lepers. / inquired par
ticularly into the chances of the infection
OF these clean people with leprosy while
In the discharge of their various duties
The general opinion was that in time they
would become lepers. 1t was not possible
to obtain any statistics on this point as
these clean people are coming and going
all of the time Z was informed, however,
that In the last ten years only ten clean
residents have become lepers and that at
the present time there were no lepers at
the settlement belonging to this class. The
precautions OF certain members of the
visiting party prior to landing together
with the absolute lack of precaution on
the part Of others, attracted my atten-
ton. Not believing 1t to be wise to spend
the day handling persons surely, and things
almost surely, infected with leprosy, and
knowing that from the amount Of horse
back riding that would be done, the
chances Of new abrasions on the hands
would be increased, 1 drew on a pair of
gloves and I noticed about one-third Of
the party doing the same thing.
II noticed that several men whom I
knew would be exposed, especially during
the day. did not wear gloves On asking
them why they went with bare hands,
they stated that the risk for them was
small, but that We with gloves We're apt
to forget and rub our noses eyes with
out removing our gloves, while they were
being reminded continually of their in
fected bare hands I mention this to show
that while the relatively small number of
cases Of leprosy among the white popula-
tion in the Hawaiian Islands must prove
In measure that to this class of per-