The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-01-05
LEPROSY PROVED
BEYOND DOUBT
PHYSICIANS CALLED BY MRS. KA-
IPU TESTIFY THAT SHE HAS THE
DISEASE.

Mrs. Mikala Kaipu is a leper. The
statement was made this morning in
Judge Doles court by DR.. Day uncom-
promisingly and the testimony was a
signal confirmation of the action taken
by the Board of Health and its sur
geons in the unfortunate woman's case.
1t will be remembered that c. w.
Ashford, acting for Emma Kaipu,
daughter of the afflicted woman, made
application for writ of habeas corpus
in the Federal Court to secure her re-
lease from the Kalihi detention station
and to prevent her being sent to the
settlement on Molokai The Board of
Health produced physician after physi-
clan who testified that they had exam
ined Mrs Kaipu and that in their op-
inion she was a leper, but Ashford was
not satisfied. He wished an eXamina-
ton made by physicians of his own
naming, a request which une Court al
| lowed.
DR.. Day and Dr.. Uchida, the latter the
Japanese expert, We're named by Ash
| ford, and they consented to undertake
the examination.
| DR.. Day was the first witness called
when the adjourned sitting of the Fed
eral Court opened this morning. He
gave the usual answers to the technical
questions and then pronounced the
words which will assuredly send the
woman to Molokai to end her days He
had made a thorough and complete ex-
animation of portions of tissue taken
from the suspect, he said, and found
that they contained the bacillus of
lanTnGV In RI
make sure beyond any possibility of
doubt the witness had made expert
ments by both methods of determine
ton, that used by the Board of Health
and that ordinarily used by himself.
The disease in the case, he said, was
| locally developed but it was at the
same time constitutional, by that the
doctor meant lat if the leprous spots
on the woman's body were thoroughly
eXcised the disease would not be era
dicated, but would remain with her
| just the same.
A long examination followed but DR..
! Day would not give any evidence as to
how long the course of the disease
might remain with the woman as from
experience he knew how erratically It
progresses IN different cases. He in
stanced one case he knew of a person S
dying year after being innoculated
and on the other had he knew of a wo-
man who at the age of % lost all of her
fingers through leprosy and was i'm very
bad condition with the disease, yet she
-, lived to be 20 years old.
DR.. Uchida, whose testimony was
translated by C. Shiozawa, followed
that of Dr. Day. He had made indie
pendent examinations of specimens
taken from Mrs. Kaipu and found that
in every case they contained the lep-
rosy bacillus in large numbers. In his
opinion the woman was in a dangerous
condition as regarded her ability to
| spread the disease.
| DR.. Mcdonald was recalled Attorney
Ashford seeking to prove that when he
made the first examinations for the
Board of Health as its bacteriologist il
might have been possible that some
bacilli from former investigations had
remained on the pestle or in the mortar
used. DR.. Mcdonald showed how he
cleansed his apparatus beyond any such
possibility by burning alcohol.
Attorney Ashford combatted this by
suggesting that the heat from burning
alcohol always assembled and offered tc
allow anyone to burn alcohol on his
hand. He withdrew the suggestion
when ii was proposed to make the test
allowing DR.. Mcdonald to stir the al
cohol while it was burning, as he did
when cleaning his mortars.
Judge Dole, upon the conclusion Of
1.-THE evidence, gave an oral decision re-
fusing the writ of habeas corpus.
Attorney Ashford gave notice of APP
peal, which If it is pressed, will be
heard in San Francisco. Meanwhile
Mrs. Kaipu will remain a prisoner in
the Kalihi detention station.