The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-07-12

,,ri,,,--x, ca,,se of tn disease is the ,Ise,
as food Of badly cured salt hsh. winch
is sent inland from Cape Town ana othSr
pofnts on the west and south coasts, ana
is largely consumed by farmers anu pep
pie in the Industrial centers-
Or Ashmead of New York. an emil
nert specialist in the disease, and one
who has devoted his life TO its STUDY.
who fer years was medical ur@c-F OF
Toxic Hospital. Japan, is at present an
applicant for the position of physician IN
charge Of the lepers at Molokai. recently
made vacant by the removal of the one
in charge He wishes TO be appointed Tor
one year. in order to give the Hsh theory
a thorough investigation
Last year he brought the question Ne
fore Professor Jordan, OF Leland stanford
University who was chief OF the fiSh
Commission TO the Hawaiian Islands, but
II needed a specialist TO solve he cues
tons one way or the other. II IS TO De
hoped that he viii receive the appoint
7nent- He proposes to feed the saf- water
and fresh water fish of Hawaii n ieprous
tissues and eat those fish, after me,
to determine il there is direct transmits
sion through the fish He also proposes
TO bury the bacilli of leprosy and - *
anime the earth Of the graves OF leperS
at different depths and periods OF time
after burial 20 find any new forms C the
baciIli which viii take the bacterloio-
gical lepra stain, and then IL any are
found, to cultivate these new Dscs!h u
learn whether they are undevelopeS lepra
baciIH and thus he may be able 10 deter
mine whether there is spore lie OF the
baciIli from which new baciili have
evolved His next step would be 10 IN
oculate fish and lepers with these new
forms and find whether life goes on he
thus would scientifically determine
whether the life of the spore IN nsh is
necessary 10 perfect development INTO
lepra baeilIi- Another experiment ne
wishes TO try is the culture OF the oaclll
of this awful disease One way would
be to express the juice Of leper tissues
on the white of eggs OF fowls, 10 md
whether an albumen is necessary TO the
life of the bacillus; if il is not. then Inc
bacillus or leper microbe can live and
thrive outside the human or other or
ganized body. perhaps indefinitely.
In Aboeyyille parish, Louisiana DR..
Edwards of the Leper Control Board OF
that State. has. he claims. recently found
! an outbreak of leprosy on grounds Tor
merly compatibility years ago-by
| lepers. and no contact except with the
dwellings in the meantime Thus il would
seem that the bacillus or its spores have
survived outside the human body for that
length OF time All these questions are
of intense interest TO this country, when
We take into consideration that all our
fnsular possessions are hotbeds Of leprosy.
The press is frequently printing so-cailed
cures of leprosy; but the cases never stay
cured snake poison. hIio"u eS the aAteA-
Venena cure: the Tue-tua plant and the
Associated Press quite recently claimed
the St Louis leper- about whom 50
much has been written. or rather the
physician in charge, had found remedy
in Chauinnoogra oil. which is an old In
dia treatment. known for years-but they
VIII learn IL VIII not cure-it is good Is
a palliative and is the one mainstay in
The treatment Of Ieprosy-but IL does not
cure. Pusteur's theory Of studying the
germs Of disease and then finding a
remedy 10 destroy or stay their propaEa-
rf~n e tho only hopeful one IN the study
= -ll.s rriEhtfil disease. and i Is "a oe
z,~ref5 that this government will see It's
WY 70 send the distinguished leprologist
pr Shu1pad Of New York. 20 Moloka
.r,l give him every facility 10 iuvestjgate
fully this serious question