Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-04-08

Ing itself felt, the attendance in the
dispensary Is steadily increasing, and
only those who can not AFFORD to pay
doctor are treated there. To close 1t
I'D will mean one of the greatest hard
ships Honolulu can have during the
present depression.
ut Is not the grown-up population
who Is going to suffer, but the child
rem. Too often 1t will happen that
child will have a slight cough or some
other slight ailment. Its parents are
too poor to run the risk Of going into
debt to secure treatment, and no doc
tor il consulted until the child Is In
extremis and nothing can save 1t when
d doctor requiring pay for his treat
ment Is called In. The presence Of a
free dispensary would have obviated
all this; at the beginning visit to the
dispensary would have nipped the dis
ease in the bud, and many childs life
IL saved in this manner.
But besides this indoor work the
city physician has other dsties. It is
law that child can not attend school
unless II has health certificate and 10
vaccinated. Surely the Government
can not expect the medical profession
to examine children and vaccinate them
in return for being allowed to practice
medicine In Hawaii. Last year (19O3)
issued over 1900 certificates to school
children and vaccinateG over 300. This
alone, II performed by a private physi-
clan would cost half the salary paid.
Besides this there Is, In the outside
work, attendance on the Quarantine
hospital. This has entailed the city
physician working till or 2 o'clock In
the morning on innumerable occasions
In the past and may well again occur
In the future. Inmates Of the hospital
are also treated by him and this often
necessitates three and sometimes four
visits a day. Then again, notiica.
ton by an inspector. or some one else.
that person Is sick In certain house
that person Is sick In certain house
entails q visit there sometimes some
miles from the city. The average Of
outside visits Is admittedly small, but
they are made at any hour OF the day
or night. and they too entail often q
journey Of Ave or six miles, the city
physician having under his charge all
the country from Koko Head to Mo-
analua.
Another duty Of the Government
physician IL the examination Of sus.
poets for leprosy. They report to him
once a month. and are either told to
report again or to the leprosy commits
sion for discharge or to be sent to Mo-
lokai. The city physician also serves
on the board Of examiners or leprosy
commission. without pay. Other men,
bers OF the commission not employees
OF the Board Of Health, a.e paid. SC
that I believe he earns his salary and
that the government has In him SER
want that 1t would be difficult matter
to get along without. This is what he
does: Treats over $50 patients month
at the dispensary. makes from so to
80 outside visits month. issues school
certificates to over 1900 children q
year, vaccinates between three and
four hundred. investigates all cases
OF disease Of a suspicious nature. treats
over 80 such cases year In the hos
pital. sometimes entailing visits at
or 8 o'clock In the morning. and often
three or four times day; has leper
suspects report to him. and sits on the
commission for examination OF lepers
and finally exercises an unceasing Wig.
lance over the patients whom he
treats, the dangerous class from an
infectious disease" point Of view, and
all this, at the present time, for one
hundred dollars per month.
1T is true that In some large cities
in the United States and elsewhere
they do not support a city physician
but tho circum sta ces are entirely a n.