The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-10-23

In some places there are 600 to 500.
people to the acre, whereas the most
densely populated districts of Paris,
vienna, and London have only 400 or
less to the acre. During the past ten
years there has been a decrease OF 40
per cent. in the datb-rate in children
under ten years from pulmonary tuber;
culosis, and n decrease in the total
tuberculosis death-rate between the
years 1887 and 1902 of 40 per cent.
This is the great sanitary problem
of the new century. In no other di.
rection can such large results he
achieved so certainly and at such rela-
lively small cost. The time is not far
distant when those States and munich.
palities which have not adopted com
prehensive plan for dealing with ,tuber.
culosis will be regarded as almost Grim
inally negligent in their administration
of sanitary affairs, and inexcusably
blind to their best economic interests. .
All these facts and statements would
be of little practical utility did they
not suggest some ideas as to how our
warfare against tuberculosis. here in
Honolulu, may be conducted, The fight
against tuberculosis has been called ga
campaign of education,' because only
through widespread instruction given
to the sufferer and his neighbors can
consumption be limited, reduced or pre-.
vented
First let us consider the school. The
plan of medical examination of school
children, as ably set forth by Mr.. Bah
bitt in a recent paper, would undoubt-
edly be valuable in detecting early
.e4 Al. 4
perhaps would be the Inauguration in
connection with the medical inspection
of system of instruction for the teach
ers and older pupils to the cause and
prevention of consumption. Especially
should instruction be given as to the
danger of spreading the disease by spit.
ting. To many children such teaching
would come only from the school and
from the home not at all, and while
perhaps part of the instruction would
fall on barren soil, yet sufficient of the
seed would take root to accomplish re-
suits.
In a number of cities on the main
land instruction regarding tuberculosis
has been given by public lectures. main
ly stereopticon, and the printed cards
which in simple wording in various Ian
guages gives suggestions regarding the
prevention of tuberculosis have become
standard form of literature for gen
eral didactic use.
AS more active measures, an adoption
in whole or in part of the regulations
carried out so successfully in New
York city, and used as standard in
many communities, is recommended.
The above measures would all be po
tent for the prevention of the disease
but the authorities are much handi
capped by lack of proper hospital ia
cilities. Honolulu has done well for the
poor and sick in many ways, but has
tuberculosis, which kills with startling
precision an average of twelve month
received its proper attention.
Leprosy, with its 500 or more unfor.
| Inmates on Molokai, calls for elaborate
regulations and the expenditure of
thousands of dollars to keep it in
check, YET there are probably almost
1000 consumptives in Honolulu alone
while this disease--easier to contract
more fatal and yet more curable-has
received little expenditure of thought
or money. The Queen IS Hospital, Jap
anese and Palama hospitals have AIDE
quate facilities for most cases, but
consumptives are rigidly excluded
The aged Hawaiians are comfortably
housed and their last days made happy
at Lunalilo Home. A splendid hospi
tai for the children is about to be-
erected by private benevolence. But
where can the poor consumptive go il
order that he may make the best
struggle for his life and that the rest
of his family may be protected from
falling victims to his dsease9 Some
one may answer, "Send him to Kona.
Parts of Kona have long been known
to be an almost ideal climate for con
sumptives. One would want little bet
ter with such n climate than to follow
out the famous advice of Hippocrates
who four hundred years before Christ
told his patients to ego into the hill.
and drink goats milk But in the
complexity of modern economic condi
tions even goats milk has its price
and the possibility for the consump
tive of a successful sojourn at KonG
demands that a man must either have
some means or that his physical con
dition should allow him to work II
support himself as best he can. Quit,
a number of consumptives have gon,
| 10 MONA anu DeeH cureu, anu IL is eaSN
enough to tell Others to go to Kona
but often hard to make such advic,
feasible. A work-farm for consump
tives able to do light work or san
atorium for more advanced cases ar,
probably too Utopian for us to con
template at present; yet it is a sas
thing to realize that many of our 16
fatal cases year might be saved b,
climate and conditions barely 90
miles away.
The Leah Home has done and is do
ing good work toward the fight, blu
its accommodations are entirely made
ouate. There are only about twent,
beds available for consumptives
Through the courtesy of the medica
superintendent, DIR. Sinclair, am abb
to report the following results. o
lseventy-three consecutive cases of pull
monary tuberculosis admitted, Their
resulted: No improvement in thirty
nine, improvement in eighteen, cours
checked in two, and apparent cure il
fourteen. 1t must be remembered tina
many of these patients were far ad
vanced on admission or actually NOR
! bund, and this being so, the figure
are hopeful that with proper hygieni
conditions consumption may be safel
y L q II n 4.