i 7 8 
THE CLIMATE OF HAWAII. 
By E. S. Goodhue, M. D. 
[Prepared for the Annual Report of the Governor of Hawaii 
for 1907.] 
Those whose lives have been spent outside of the tropics 
have a very limited knowledge of the general character of the 
zone which the geographies term "torrid." Much less do they 
know of the conditions which prevail in special localities lying 
in the tropics, and so we see in print for our amusement, if 
not for our instruction, all sorts of wild ideas concerning our 
climate and its effects upon the white resident. Knowing 
next to nothing about the subject, the wise naturalists, physi- 
cians and editors of the Far North are yet fascinated by it and 
fly back to it again and again to singe their wings, not in the 
tropic zone itself, but in the superheated atmosphere of their 
fancy. These intelligent and otherwise well-versed observers, 
though cognizant of the great difference between localities of 
the same zone and same latitude affected by longitude, alti- 
tude and proximity to bodies of water ; knowing well that tem- 
perate N t ew England and temperate California have little in 
common, yet persist in taking the climate of low coastal re- 
gions in the tropics and hot inland tracts in India, Africa or 
the Americas as typical of all land lying within the tropics of 
Cancer and Capricorn. 
Heat, always fearful heat. Sultry nights, such as travelers 
may experience in Florida or the Guiana coast. Dampness 
like that of the lowlands of Nigeria. "Enervating seasons" — 
how that phrase is mouthed as a precious morsel — "pestiferous 
insects," "fearful thunderstorms," ' 'malaria," "final physical 
and moral degeneration for the white resident." 
Then the natives of the tropics are referred to as samples 
of what the torrid zone produces, and the purveyor of tropical 
information wipes his brow in the ardor of his over-wrought 
imagination. 
Unfortunately for the countries concerned, temporary resi- 
dents have gone "home" sick or disgusted, to report unfav- 
orably of their short stop in the tropics. Either they lived in 
an unhealthy region; by impecuniosity or hereditary equip- 
ment were unable to judge of the country as a whole; were 
mentally disqualified to offer any intelligent opinion of any 
country, or were unscrupulous and willing to misrepresent in 
order to arouse wonder in the minds of their far-away hearers. 
And again, unfortunately, some very able men have ad- 
vanced theories regarding the tropical effects of light and 
temperature which have been applied indiscriminately to all 
lands within the tropic zone. So far as Hawaii is concerned. 
