The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-07-03
Doctors Lost
Their Nerve
CONSlL'S PROTEST SCARES BOARD OF HEALTH MED|GS and.
THEY TRY ID CRAWL OUT Of THEIR OWN ACTIONS

moved by DR.. c. B. Cooper seconded by
DR.. w. l.. Moore that the matter be
laid on the table for further consider
alton. The above on motion of Attor-
ney General Dole seconded by Mr.. Il
A. Mott-Smith, was amended to read:
That the matter be laid on the table
for one week and that DrS. w. l..
Moore and c. B. Cooper be appointed a
committee of two to interview the EN-
amining board in regards this matter
The interviewing" to be done by the
committee of two was to find out If the
examinations had been made in the
English language No protest had been
received from the Japan ase consul up
to that time. The $4,000 Japanese pau-
pie in the Islands, whose physicians
were ordered to learn English before
they could practice among their own
people, had not Caught GA to what
was being done and all went vel.
The interview with the medical eXa-
miners was satisfactory. Az the next
meeting it was reported that the latter
were trying to do all in their power 10
conduct the examinations properly ana
to see that no unfit" persons secured
licenses. The medical examiners had
already set a date for putting the de-
sired rule into effect, and they were
waiting for the arrival of that dare.
The three Japanese physicians were
given licenses, and since then reports
from the Board of Medical Examiners
have been regularly acted upon, with
out comment.
The Board of Examiners took offense
however ,at the action of the Board of
Health, and wrote a letter in which the
Board was invited to do it's own work
of keeping out Japs "All applicants for
license to practice medicine and surgery
in this territory" said the examiners,
bring to us a request from the Board
of Health to examine them, and it
might be in order if the Board of Health
is so particular about their knowledge
of the English language, to ascertain if
they come up to their ideas on this
| subject before referring them to us for
examination"
No further action was taken by the
Board of Health, however, until yes
terday, when on receipt of news of a
protest by the Japanese consul, the
Board, led by the Medical members,
referred the matter back to the COVER
nor, with the notice that they had
nothing to do with it, and the buck"
had better be passed up to the Board
of Medical examiners. With a way
pointed out by which they might en-
force their own rule, they remained in
active, and they cheerfully agreed with
the examiners that they had mo juris-
| diction," when the Japanese consul
kicked.
The Examiners shouldered the res
possibility willingly. They declared
that they had adopted the rule of them
selves, and were going to put it into eff
feet when the date they had set ar
rived 1t was none of the business of
the Board of Health. This discovery
| lf,Is III H.
medical members of the Board of
Health now, but it didn't suit them
when they were trying to enforce the
rule they now have nothing to do"
with.
The same record of backing down is
shown in the matter of the assistant to
DR.. Waughop of Kauai Waughop
wanted to employ a Japanese physician
in his district, to help at one end of the
district, where his father, also a ply
sician, had been assisting. He offered
to pay the Jap himself, and merely
wanted the permission of the Board to
let the man work, among his own coun-
trymen, who are naturally much better
able to describe their ailments in their
own tongue
The request was peremptorily refus-
| ed for no other reason than that the
| proposed assistant was a Japanese, or
| if for any other reason, for none dis
covered outside of the Board of Health
| The fact that the action taken was on
account of objections to the employ
ment of Japanese physician, was pub
| lished generally in the papers here. 1t
was never denied-until the Japanese
consul appeared on the scene with a
protest. Then the matter looked diff
ferent. Like the lonely Japanese doc
tor kept out of practice because he
couldn't talk English to patients who
don't understand English, the Jap ex-
cluded from a position on Kauai be-
cause he was Jap, was a very differ
ent person from His Imperial Majesty S
Consul Mkt SaitO, who could get the
ear of the governor, and after that the