The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-02-23
ON MEDICAL
EXAMINATION
President Pinkham's Views in
His Report TO Governor
Carter.


which President Pinkham appended to hi
business message TO the Board of Healfl
Thursday, with the Introductory re
mark that - the general principles there
in laid down appear to be unaecepta
bic to the japanese alone:
1.-THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE
AND SURGERY.
..The Board of Health has no dis
erection as to methods of examinations
or the issuance of licenses to practices
| medicine and surgery in the Territory
of Hawaii from the fact the board OF
medical examiners are by law the ar
biters who decide upon the professional
and ethical qualifications Of candidates,
and the Board simply endorses the APP
plieant to the treasurer, who issues the
license Were the Board in posses
sion of facts that warranted it they
could refuse to endorse the applicant
and thus hold up the license, but such
contingency is improbable.
sThe Board of Health is charged
with the responsibility of seeing the
laws are respected and that no miseon-
duct, carelessness or incapacity occurs
among the licensed physicians
The Territory of Hawaii is an in
togras part of the United States and
as oI-eiAi language is English and none
other. Ia that language the laws must
lie enforced, all evidence must be
placed before the courts in English,
either oral or written. The courts can
not allow French, German, Portuguese,
Italian, or any other language to be
substituted. In criminal acts the courts
may be compelled, for public safety, to
use in experimenting, collecting evil
denee and prosecuting any language
that our astonishingly polyglot popula-
tion requires. Not SO in civil cases;
there complainant and defendant must
meet in documents and all legal proce-
dure in the official language of the
country, the English language.
"No matter how numerous nation
atty becomes in the Territory of Ha-
waii it comes wholly and solely on the
sufferance of the United States of
America and subject to its laws and
those of the Territory.
seThe laws of the United States and
the Territory of Hawaii can not be
properly enforced ii any nationality can
come here and plead numbers and ex
pediency and undertake to set up its
own foreign non-assimilating standards
so disguised in q language the official
servants of the Territory can not I'M
derstand, thus practically rendering
those profting thereby immune to the
laws of the Territory and country.
Particularly is this the case in sci
entifc and confidential professions like
that of medicine where the terms and
means, concealed in most difficult for
eign language, are beyond the compre-
and can only be solved by skilled inter
prefers practically impossible to obtain
and only at an expense of money, time
and circumstances that renders the off,
GERS of the Territory impotent in the
discharge of their duty. It is incom-
prehensible that we should be forced
to such an issue.
''There is nationality in our midst
too many of whom, in their eagerness
to advance in personal gain and influ
ence, seem to be forgetting all sense
of equity and national propriety.
Sin place of high standards of ethics
and practice noticeable number are
acting the part of unprincipled exploit
ers of their own and other races, totally
ignoring the argument that is brought
forward by themselves as to language
relations between physician and patient,
and some are defying the law alto
gether.
complaints have been lodged by
TepuLdDlc pu.N S1CAduS Va tAAo AGSS etS dAuSb
this illegal and exploiting practice, and
action has been taken Complaints still
come from various separated localities.
ga number of successful prosecu-
tions have been carried to a determine
tion at the expense of the Board, but
the fines are realization TO the treas
ury, thus exhausting the resources of
the Board. Private funds have neces-
sarily been used to quite an extent.
.'It would seem if, to any national
ity, the practice of medicine and sur
gerry in the Territory of Hawaii is an
object worth attaining it is worth the
same effort and national respect shown
by German, French, Portuguese and 9TH
er nationalities in mastering the Eng
lish language and presenting them
selves for examination and professional
fellowship in the legal and official
language OF the United States of Amer
lea and the Territory of Hawaii.
'1No physician of any nationality,