Kuokoa Home Rula, Volume VII, Number 8, 19 February 1909 — The Reason For The Change in The Leprosy Law. [ARTICLE]

The Reason For The Change in The Leprosy Law.

The Territorial Attorney General is quoted by the Evening Bulletin to say, that the proposed change in the leprosy law, as is now being drafted by the learned jurist, was due to Dr. Koch, who "told something about leprosy and its treatment that me - the learned Attorney General never knew before." That the great leprologist (Dr. Koch) told the legal lights of the Territorial Law Department "how the afflicted are treated in Norway and what remarkable results have been achieved - not in the cure of leprosy, but in preventing its spread." Hence the "idea is to adopt somewhat the same plan." Wherefore the reason for the change in the proposed Leprosy Law is that which contains in this statement, to with "not in the cure of leprosy, but in preventing its spread" To prevent the spread of leprosy " is not a new light to us. See Penal Code of 1869. Even the mild system of isolation or segregation now in force in Norway as suggested to the learned Attorney General by Dr. Koch is not to us ? new light. See Report of the Board of Health for the Biannual Period Ending December 31, 1897, p 99. In the Report of the President of the Board of Health for the 18 months ending December 31, 1902, on page 13, the following statement is given: "All leper suspects are now examined by the Bacteriologist microscopically and the result of the examination made known to the Board of Examiners for their guidance. Since this system was inaugurated no person has been sent to Molokai in which the bacilli of Leprosy had not been demonstrated." The presence of these germs of leprosy in a person is the criterion to doom such person a leper. That it was on the aforesaid statement of the President of the Board of Health, that Representative Paele, who was a "Home Ruler" in the Legislature of 1903 introduced the following joint resolution. "Whereas, there are many persons now at the Leper Settlement on the Island of Molokai, who have not been microscopically examined by the Territorial Bacteriologist and the bacilli lepra have not been demonstrated by such scientific process to exist in said persons, although listed as lepers, and, "Whereas, that only the presence of such bacilli lepra in any alleged leprous person would justify such person being declared and classed a leper; and,

" T AZhereaS, it ]s necessary to examine microscopicany urider the.charge ar.d supervision o£ a Committee irom the present L,egislaturē, and find o'ut whether such alieged leprous persons have the iepra i>aciiii in' their systēm, or i,vhiether any, of thens had onee had the disease o£ leprosy, but nōw, is not 'a person in a conditioix to spread the disease ol jej?rQsy'which alone ]ustifiēs segregation> Bcc. } &c." , That on page 2.9- of Board ol Health Report (Yeai 2ndmg Juae 30, 1904) we find the followmg from the Xemtorial Bacterioiogist and Pathologist: :< x * x x that no patient should be sent to a segregatsd leper colony until the bacillus of leprosy,.the sine qua non of the disease, has been unmistakebly demonstrated to be preseiit.in such patient beyond the shadow of a doubt." . So~ pnueh we give "the mie gitci non of the disease" according to jDr; Macc3onald, in our limited space. Kill the bugs, und you cure leprosy. Aiiy person whose bugs ,you ean kill with,any kind o r sqci oi remedy, without waiting. ufltil a specific cure is discovered, :s ā great blessing to Hawaji. Why-wait?