Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-06-23
A LETTER TO HAWAlANS
BY Ernest 4. Mott-smlth, supervisor elect.

GENTLY hardened and Injured to ior.
eign sickness.
j., Disease Must Re Fought go
! Disease Is Immediately fought BY
eyerynody. or should be. The family
doctor fights 4 IN the household; the
territorial and county health officials
fight II In the community. the federal
officials fight Il to keep e out Of the
| country. The sick themselves fight &c
| and the well fight to avoid II 81
The cholera OF 1895 claimed 50 vic
tins OF whom 80 were OF Hawaiian
blood and Of whom IS died and % re-
covered. Poi and taro were destroyed
in this epidemic as Q possible source
Of infection. .-uf-
The plague Of 1900 In Honolulu
claimed II victims. Of whom II were
Of native blood. al OF whom died.
Chinatown was destroyed a that
time. How absurd Il would be for
any one to say that plague was
brought here for the purpose or burn
ing down Chinatown. Very few cases
Of plague were found after the fire.
Nevertheless, though the fire did APP
pafently slaeken up the epidemic Cor
some reason OF other, destruction BIZ
fire Is now reccg niZed IS crude
means Of fighting plague. Fleas and
rats are the main things 70 get after.
Plague was not brought here. It
came here unlimited from China.
| The cholera o. 1871 claimed 80 VIC
time, OF whom S6 were OF native
blood, and Of whom 2e died and 10
recovered. That disease. C & belisy.
ed, came from Oriental ports. The
only way to get cholera 10 through
the mouth. It does not fly through
the air. II 10 transmitted through
food and water. The main food oe
the Hawaiian Is poi. Prior to 1911
| poi for sale was manufactured mainly
by Chinese under very filthy coadi.
tons. The physicians traced .ds
cholera infection to poi. The expert
enee Of 1895 pointed IN the same q s
rection. The board Of health, Il vas
then its president) summary closed
the poi shops and the cholera stop
ped almost Immediately. IN the same
way that the doctor % the family
physician. 50 the board Of health 10
the communities physician. The
board Of health could no more allow
the eating OF yessibly infected poi
under the conditions then prevailing
that q family physician coula alicw
q man suffering from stomach ache
or collie to eat green mango. The
Chinatown fire had some eject IN
stopping the plague in Honolulu The
lclosing Of poi shops undoubtedly
stopped cholera in Honolulu. There
was no mistake about the means. The
board Of health then went further and
/ thereafter saw to Il that not only vas
poi manufactured for sale N Honolulu
under cleanly conditions. bus sold
honestly, Of full measure. up to stand.
ard and full weight
yellow Fever Danger
In November, 1911, Honolulu was
threatened with the introdnction Of
yellow fever, brought here bY =
steamer from o South American port
The board Of health, Ct was not then
its president nor q nember), realizing
its duty to fight this mesnace. be-
cause the Introduction Of that disease
would have resulted most disnsfrons-
/ " for Hawaii, Dsgan the fight aeainst
the mosquito. which 10 the only
known means Of transmitting the
disease from one person to another.
The board Of health. through spe-
cially appointed commission, consis
ing Of some Of the best physicians
and business men OF the city, attached
al places where that kind Of mos
quito was known or supposed 70
breed. and amongst such places, the
banana plants Some people think
the board Of health and that commits
sion erred In regard to banana plants:
some do not But, e. the most I'M
Eh.tiD1en tIUtfEfdesly siclHag
The police were helpless and
he disorders.
the board 81 hsaltk. The board haa
demonstrated through experts that
banana plants were . breeding place
for mosquitoes Of that kind and hence
: Il and the commission concluded EhaE
banana plants were q source Of dan
ger under conditions which then pre-
vailed.
Need for United Action
This article Is written to show fhat
health officials, Ike doctors. do NOT
inflict hardships on people and cbnf
AA44-lAtJ vi liz buGBO1S VI II1LAA08
pain and distress. but for the pur-
poses Of prevention and cure Of Dis.
ease; that diseases are not brought
here but come OF their own accord
from the outside world BY reason OK
the opening 81 lines Of commmica-
ton; that everybody should fight
shoulder to shoulder and ii coopera.
ton with the health officials egainss
the introduction and spread Of disease
In Hawaii: that the danger Of intro
duction Of diseases win continue %
long a. Hawaii has open lines Of
communication with foreign ports
that Is, forever more; and finally,
that concern should be lad not with
what might have been, but with what
is-not with false prophets, but with
those Whose pubic duty It IS to pro
tect public health