The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-09-14
NEW YORK OFFICER
Continued from page nine.)


Continued from page nine.)
tating epidemic. Right here on the
cleaning glass slides under the micro
scopes is the final line of cholera
coast defense.
Cholera Was Expected.
DIR. Doty was expecting cholera on
incoming ships from the Mediterran-
can this year, and he was prepared
for it. Two or three sporadic cases
had developed on vessels en- route
from southern Europe last autumn. In
no case, however, did the infection
succeed in passing quarantine. Of
j fcers Of the United States marine hos.
pital service abroad had watched the
march of cholera across Europe in
1910 and the resultant invasion Of
Italy. The efforts of the Italian gov
eminent officials to conceal the real
( seriousness of the situation did not
/ deceive these trained observers, and
/ they forwarded confidential reports Of
the progress Of the epidemic to this
/ country.
While the meteorological experts
hunted their quarry in the laboratories
and the liners swung at anchor await
ing the result, DR.. Doty sat in his
study down at Quarantine and told
how he had planned his campaign
against the cholera carrier. The fight
I had been won then, and the danger of
/ an epidemic was past. He might we'll
have spoken with some little pride of
the achievement, but he seemed to
look upon the whole business in the
most matter-of-fact way, as if fighting
cholera were nothing at all out of the
ordinary, but all in the days work.
The Disease Carrier"
81 knew what we were in for" he
said quietly, "and we were ready
Previous to last year there was a gem
eral feeling that cholera was a dis
ease that demonstrated itself within
five days of infection. Therefore, as
means of combating cholera, we de-
pended on five-day detention of per-
sons suspected of infection or coming
from an infected district. We held
them for five days, and, if no cases
developed, we let them go, on the
theory that there was no danger of
further infection. This was our
theory, as is indicated in the regula-
tions of the United States government
and local quarantine and health de-
partments.
But in the last four or five years
we have learned that in nearly all dis
eases were are dealing with two
classes never before fully appreciated:
first, the mild and irregular type; and,
second, the carrier. We have learned
a great deal more about the danger of
carriers in many infectious diseases in
the last few years. You will recall the
case of Typhoid Mary which attract
ed considerable attention in New York
a year or so ago.
I'VE know now that when cases of
infectious disease get past quarantine
the infection is not carried in cloth.
ing or baggage or cargo. 1t is nearly
always the mild or irregular case or
the carrier that brings the infection.
Twelve or fourteen years ago l began
to use the clinical thermometer to de,
tect these mild or irregular cases here
at quarantine when yellow fever was
suspected. This proved most effective
against yellow fever, but it is of NO
use as a guard against cholera. Chol.
era patients develop a high tempera,
ture only in the last stages of the dis.
ease"
Fumigation Useless.
The fumigation of baggage and car
goes DR.. Doty regards as equally use.
less and unnecessary