The Garden Island. [volume] (Lihue, Kauai, H.T.) 1902-current, 1912-12-10
FIGHTING THE
WHITE PLAGUE
BY Doctor SINCLAIR

In a previous paper l IHE
GARDEN ISLAND l called attention
to the campaign against pulmo-
nary tuberculosis, or consumption,
the impetus being given it and the
necessity of public interest. Before
that is entirely out of mind, per-
NIT me to add to it further sum-
mary of its relation to the public.
Statistics are handled with diff
cuty. AS a means of conveying a
clear impression of subject they
are not always satisfactory. For
the use of t h e active workers
whose duties lead them o the
study and analysis of conditions,
statistics are necessity but not
to the casual reader who is here
in h i S subject today and from
whom the subject has gone to-
morrow. l would prefer to call
your attention to a less tangible
phase of the tuberculosis campaign
than that set forth in statistics.
A modern problem that h S
arisen through modern methods of
business is combining public senti-
ment. San Francisco considered
its PanamaPacifc Exposition as
it would a distinctly commercial
enterprise and makes it possible
by the wav its leaders have united
the city, painting on the popular
mind with a few broad, mastery
strokes, clear perspective of
everything that t h e exposition
means to everyone in the city. The
picture they created was intimate,
its details attractive to the rich
and humble alike; its answer was
such as to flatter the most exact
ing of artists.
If public sentiment in Hawaii
could be combined with equal sue
cess as regards the fight on tuber-
culosis which is no less a distinct
ly commercial enterprise, results
would soon be as apparent as they
are in San Francisco regarding the
fair. 1t will be just as impossible
to wipe out the disease in this
Territory without combined in
terest as it would have been in the
Golden Gate City to build fifteen
million dollars worth of exposition
palaces without it. 1t was
enough to awaken interest in the
pocket books of that portion of the
city's population whose business
might be expected to increase dur
ing fair prosperity. 1t was neces7
sary to excite and enlist the SYM
pathies of the humble hack driver
to whom it meant but few extra
fares or the saloon hanger on pick
ing up odd drinks who might ex-
pect nothing but disadvantages.
The commercial barons might
have built the palaces; the loyalty
and enthusiasm of the rest of the
city was necessary to send a tele-
pathic wave out of San Francisco
that assured the world that the
Fair would be a success. 1t will
be the second element, not the
first, that accomplishes the almost
impossible feat. 1t will be that
element, that air of preordained
success that will enlist enthusiasm
in the cause against tuberculosis
in the Territory.
For that reason, by the slow
processes that must be used, pub
lie interest in Hawaii in the anti,
tuberculosis campaign must b {
aroused. The sanatariums and the
government officials might be able
to cure tuberculosis. 1t will not
altogether be wiped out until the
whole Territory's fgurative shoe
is set down upon this single blot
with all the frmness and deter
mination with which the ordinary
individual would put his brogar
on a scorpion.
For obvious reasons this task o
awakening public interest is hard
Continued on page 2.