The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-08-04
AN OLD GRIEVANCE.

ance.
AN OLD GRIEVANCE.
President Pinkham, in his usual sub
mission of business, introduced an old
grievance of Government physicians
against the Attorney Generals Depart
ment in debating terms on which they
shall do the most disagreeable police
work. He said:
THE letter of DR.. r. j. McGettigan
brings before US the subject of Govern
ment physicians in sparsely settled dis
tricts, and what is his fair due as be-
tween the various departments"
DR.. McGettigan's letter was read at
the meeting, being as follows;
Hama, Maui, H. t., July %, 1904.
Hon. L. E. Pinkham, President of
Board of Health, Honolulu, H. T.
Sir: On June 80 about noontime 1 was
ordered per telephone by the Deputy
Sheriff of Kipahulu, to start at once for
Kalepa Gulch to examine the body of
a Chinaman (Akiu) who had been found
authority he had for calling me he re-
Baldwin, Sheriff of Maui, to call the
doctor to examine the body.
Kalepa Gulch is sixteen miles from
Hama and is between Kipahulu and
Kaupo, and the last four miles of the
trail is about the worst and most dan
gerous in the Hawaiian Islands. There
are three gulches, between 500 and 800
feet deep, to cross, and the trail lead
ing through is at places on a grade of
fifty per cent. actual measurement. On
account OF heavy grades and rough
country, travelling in Hama district is
principally done on horseback and,
from the nature of the country, is slow
and tedious. At Kipahulu I changed
my saddle horse for a mule and pro-
ceeded with all possible haste so as to
complete my work before dark.
On reaching the place where the body
was I made the necessary examination.
The body was in an advanced stage of
decomposition and presented evidence
of death by drowning, in fact was found
close to the breakers where the tide
had receded and left it. Myself and the
coroners jury We're satisfied that the
cause of death was drowning. The dep
uty sheriff and jury considered that to
proceed further with the post norton
was unnecessary, besides darkness was
coming on, we were several miles from
any habitation without lanterns, and to
travel that trail in the dark would be
foolhardy. So the coroner's jury !
brought in their verdict and we started |
homeward and attempted to reach XII
pahulu, or at least to get over the worst |
gulches before it became too dark to |
see. l was compelled to, stay at Kipa- |
r,,g,, +l,,+ 4
day.
L am relating all this SO that you may |
get some idea of the difficulties I am |
under in attending to this work for the |
sheriff's department. 1 rendered a bill |
Cenclosed) for $50 which was returned
per Sheriff Baldwin, in the condition in
between the Clerk to High
Sheriff and Sheriff Baldwin. AS you
see in this letter of the Clerk to High
Sheriff SO is offered in settlement of
he bill, and he states that several
7ears ago $40 was the amount allowed. |
wish to refer this matter to the
Board of Health and hope that 1 am
lot presuming too much when I think
'ou can have the matter arranged sat-
sfactorily- Under the existing condi-
ions where these services to the At
orney Generals Department are not
art of my duties 1 think my services
n this occasion are worth at least $50,
nd [ think the medical members of
he Board viii agree with me in this.
t is probable that a number of cases
Ike mine Will come before the Board
nd L thought you would like to take
p the matter of compensation from
he Attorney Generals Department to
government physicians and have it set
led so that physicians will know just |
hat their position is. l.
Very respectfully.
r. j. McGETTIGAN, NJ. ..
CLERK DOW'S VETO.
In returning the bill to Sheriff Bald |
in, H. NJ. Dow, Clerk to High Sher- +
+. wrote:
You will notice in your instructions ,
everal years ago, that only $40 would I
e allowed for post mortems and |
ltopsies unless there were great rea- r
ms fully expressed for more than $10.' Z
DR.. Cooper said that such extraor- {
mary duties, with a salary of $50 !
onth, and for such a trip as DR.. Nc i
ettigan described, should be worth y