The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-17
KOCH BELIEVES A LEPROSY
CURE WILL Be DISCOVERED
Great BacteriOIogist Certain
That the Scientists Are at
Work Along the Right Lines.

SeSIeSdllOH DIS promptly dS poSsl-
BILE of all persons showing a trace of
leprosy is the only means known to
the scientists of the world for the pre-
Koch. the worlds most famous bac-
teriologist, yesterday. ''It is sad to
state that as yet there is no known
cure for this disease, and physicians
the world over are working now pri-
marily not to cure, but to prevent.
And the only way to prevent the
spread of the disease is by the segre-
CATION and the isolation of those af-
fected."
who is honored for the discoveries he
has made and the good for the human
race he has accomplished all over the
civilized world, is a guest at the Mo
ana Hotel, coming to Honolulu to rest.
Practically ever since his arrival on
American soil at New York some
weeks ago he has consistently refused
to be interviewed by press representa-
tives and has declined all invitations
of a social nature, desiring only to be
left alone and to be allowed to take
a vacation from the work which has
claimed his every minute for forty
years The first exception to this rule
was made by him yesterday for the
Advertiser.
And in the short interview granted,
DR.. Koch held out hope to those seek
ing for a cure for the disease which
hangs like a pail over the Hawaiian
race, expressing not only the hope that
a cure would ultimately be found, but
giving as his opinion as a scientist the
certainty that it would.
'I am convinced that the scientific
Investigations being made all over the
world into the question of the preven-
ton and the cure of leprosy viii re-
suit in such cure being found. Gov
ernments of the civilized world are
setting aside money for the work and
trained scientists are working zeal
ously to accomplish this good for hu-
manity Do I think that a cure will
ever be found? 1 am certain that it
will
But in the meantime there is no
other course to pursue but that of
segregation. By means of this alone
leprosy can be stamped out, because
there has never been known case of
that disease self-contracted. Ever,
leper has contracted the disease
through contact with someone else al
ready affected. You may not be able
to prove this here with certainty, but
we have proved it conclusively in
Germany. There are only a few lepers
! and we can trace with certainty the
History of every case and in every case
we have found that contact produced
it. Ye have few lepers in Germany,
and the number is steadily growing
fewer because we have a rigorous iso
lation of the diseased ones and have
doctors whose whole attention is given
to detecting the disease in suspects
at an early period and isolating them.
1t is cruel, beyond doubt, to the ones
isolated. but better far that they
should be taken away from their rel
atives and friends than that their
relatives and friends also become
lepers.
Hawaii should take encouragement
from the example set by Norway. In
that country, twenty years ago, there
were nearly three thousand lepers.
Today the number has practically
-dwindled to a handful, a hundred or
so. That shows that the proper means
can stamp out the disease. Norway
adopted the segregation policy and
enforced it strictly. 1t was hard,
know. but it was necessary, and now,
you may say, that kingdom is clean
from the disease.
in Germany, where there are few ,
cases and the majority of them among
the immigrants from Russia and Fin
land. we are able to keep close track I
NJ those who have been subjected to ]
cortagion- All these persons are care ;
fully watched, because il is most nee {
essary that the very first evidence of {