The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-11-26

the passengers to discomfort and en-
barrassment The answer is that
quarantine, to be at all reliable, must
always play safe. AS a matter of
fact. quarantine is nearly always bas-
ed on probabilities rather than GER
tainties For instance, before a case
of plague is officially pronounced
plague a series of test are made rel
quiring an average period of twelvel
days After all, the holding up of a
vessel on a suspicion that is later dis
proved is really a comparatively small
matter; merely the expense and tenn
porary inconvenience of a few against
possible danger to a community.
AS our knowledge of plague increas-
es the importance of the part played
by vermin in its transmission and per-
| petuation becomes more and more
prominent; and in about the same ra
! ito the danger from direct contact
with human cases seems to diminish
except in those of the pneumonia type.
Currie regards plague as a disease of
rats, which occasionally is communi-
Gated to human beings. But from rat
to rat, and from rat to man, it now
appears that the disease is generally
| conveyed by fieas This does not mean,
of course, that plague may not be con-
tracted from contact with sputum and
discharges and from infected food; the
fact has been demonstrated in the la
boratOry; nevertheless these sources
of infection are now known to be Of
| less Importance than fleas. Rat fleas
by preference cling to rats, but when
| their rat hosts die they will seek the
nearest available host, whether cat,
| dog or man. All this is a matter of
| scientific record in the report of the
British Plague Commission in India.
Hence the imperative necessity for
! the complete destruction of rats and
fleas on plague ships or ships from
plague infected ports, and the worth
| lessness of disinfection which fails to
accomplish this. 1t is to be regretted
that formallehyde does not kill ver-
min, as it is so much cleaner than
sulphur.
When a vessel arrives at Honolulu
from plague port, and the voyage has
taken less than seven days, the crew
and steerage are detained in quaran-
tine until the seven days required by
the quarantine regulations have elaps-
| ed.
why not the cabin passengers" is
the question invariably asked why
this unjust discrimination between
classes, between those who can afford
to pay for a cabin passage and those
who cannOt?'
! For several reasons.
First:-Because persons able to pay
for cabin passage do not as a class
frequent or have to reside in localities
and quarters more within the means
of persons only able to pay for steer
age accommodations
SecOnd:-Because plague on ship
board nearly always appears in the
crew or the steerage. Forecastle anC
steerage are generally near to each
other and have much in common. In.
! lection appearing in either will, pre-
sumably,' have exposed both. There
fore any measures imposed by the qua
rantine officers will, to be consistent
have to apply to both crew and steer
age Exceptions may be made, how
ever, where the early detection anC
isolation of case, or the construction
. of a vessel seems to warrant it,
Third: -Because persons able to pa!
for cabin accommodations are able t.
employ, and almost invariably will
employ, licensed physician of reputt
in the community if they sicken afte
: leaving a suspicious vessel. Will tn,
average steerage passenger do this
Possibly, but not probaUIy. Thus al
epidemic might start. Every licensed
. reputable medical man is bound, un
der penalty of the law, to report con
tagious diseases coming under his no
tice to the Board of Health The Boar
of Health will report the case, if qua
q rantinable, to the quarantine officer
l. !" ~ " Al bAlCu LchhC plOpCI 1lGdbulG Cd
the case came from a vessel.
o Whether the case is then taken t
8 the U. s. Quarantine Station or LEI
f in the charge Of the Board of Healt
? is immaterial. 1t is under legal charg
I before becoming actively contagious
q and that is sufficient The port i
# thereby protected
When plague was present here
= when it was deemed advisable, for tn
T. protection of San Francisco, to hol
g prospective steerage passengers unde
G observance one day before embarka
a. ton, and when unnecessary communi
q cation between vessel and town wa
q prohibited; much unfavorable common
a was inspired by the apparent incor
! sistency in allowing stevedores to G
aboard while friends and relatives {