The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-11-26

that one body should be in supreme
control
In rousing the public from its apathy
in regard to tuberculosis, Doctor Hobby
declared the society could render val
liable service, particularly in the way
of education. "Our health officials may
be the most efficient, energetic and en-
thusiastc men on earth but without the
cooperation of the public this fight can
never be won. OF the 269 deaths from
tuberculosis recorded in this city last
year there were 100 that the board of
health had never heard of at all until
their death certificates came in. This
means that we are either failing to
make the diagnosis or failing to report
the cases.
"The wet farms of Honolulu have
won it the reputation of being the
greatest agricultural city on EARTH -
said Doctor Hobby. of the $4,000
acres comprising the City of Honolulu,
nearly two,thirds are under water.
These rice and taro patches, declared
the speaker, would make an ideal
breeding ground for the anopheles mos.
quito, which does not exist here today
but does exist every month in the year
along the tropical and sub-tropical
coast of continental America. With
trade relations with these countries
growing more intimate, some day if the
wet farms are permitted to remain they
will become infected, and the scourge
of malaria which devastated Mauritius
might repeat itself in the history of Ha-
waii.
Rat Quarantine Needed.
DR.. F. E. Trotter, chief quarantine
officer of the public health service,
read an interesting paper on "Rat
Quarantine. He said that in view
of the fact that plague is steadily ad
vancing through the world, and that
the rat which carries it is found on all
vessels, rat quarantine to be effective
should include the following require
ments:
Maintain vessels in n rat-free con-
dition. 1t is believed that fumigation
four times year, in conjunction with
other measures will result in keeping
the vessel free of rodents.
prevent rats from gaining access to
vessel while at the dock by Tending
off from the dock; wearing rat guards
on all hawsers, lines, hose; taking in
cargo nets and raising gangway at
night.
inspection of freight to determine
that all Grated goods, as furniture,
vegetables, china and mating do not
harbor rats.
"Inspection to determine whether
these requirements are being properly
observed.'
Doctor Trotter said in conclusion
that the last plague rat found in San
Francisco was discovered in a bag of
peanuts on the third floor of ware
house. The peanuts were taken to San
Francisco from China and it was there
fore most important that seaports hav.
ing trade relations with countries where
plague prevails should possess a rat
proof waterfront, and warehouses so
constructed as to be absolutely rat free
Other papers read during the after
noon and evening sessions yesterday
were on "Mycetoma, by DIR. f. S.
Goodhue; "Parenchymatous Kerati-
It's" by DR.. w. G. Rogers; Notes
from Surgical Clinics of Europe and
America" by DIR. j. R. Judd; CAN'T
bodies in Leprosy," DR.. M. T. Clegg,
and "Notes on Tuberculin Treatment
of Tuberculosis Pulmonalis, - by DR.. A.
n. Sinclair.
Today the members of the society
will hold a picnic at DR.. C. b. Cooper's
Kahala Beach residence, and the final
session will be held tomorrow afternoon,
with the annual banquet at the Coun!
try Club in the evening.
Among the physicians in attendance
yesterday were Drs. Mccain, Pratt,
Trotter, Marshall Duffy, Schlanser,
Murray, Jackson, Judd, Cooper, Hodges,
Wood, Bowen E. S. Goodhue, Sinclair,
Rogers, Mitamora, Emerson, Burnham,
Keller, Shepherd, Nottage, Haia and
Hobby and Moses It. Clegg,