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Climate And Disease

Climate And Disease image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
December
Year
1874
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Laudor saya, " So soon as a man be coinés sick be ia a rascal." Undoubtedl; he had ia mind the chronic invalid who is a aort of a thief in ihes houaehold drawing upon the good nature and vital ity of every one around hiui. To be ee riously ill with any diseaseisbad enough To be daily, hourly, haunted by grim death in the fora of a chronic, incura ble malady, ia the very acmé of human suffaring. The combined horrors of al epidemie diseases, which affect the peo pie of this couutry are not to be compar ed with the fatality and suffering inci dent to the various typea of lung diseases included in the comnion term ooiisumption. Fortúnate is th stifferer who has the genial apirit of Toni Hood. In his long years of conaumption, with the creoping treacherou8 enemy slowly but surely overcoming hia vital powers, he thus gai ly writea : w I'm sick of iruel and the dietics, I'm sick of pilla and sicker ot' emética, I'm sick of pulse's tardiiieps or quickneas, I'm sick ot' blood, its thinuess or its thickuess In short, within a word I'm sick of sickuess Now when we grow sick of pills anc sicker of emética, we begin to inquire what CLIMATIO INFLUENCES. can do for a in the way of curing or arreBting disease. Unfavorable chínate ia one of the moat fruitful sourcfiB o; lung diseasea, but I douubt whefher il adda a greater number to the list of victima than does dissipation, bad habita o: Ufe and 'ong contiuued depreaaing emotions, although climate is one of the first oonsiderationa in the traatment, either of palliative or curativa, of all diseases of the lungs, yet it cannot supply the place of good food, good habita, in short, proper attention of hygiëne. In many cases the latter is of more importance than the olimate. Among the popular health resorta of this country. COLORADO A3 A SANITARTTJM for consurnptiva has revuirod take-it-forgranted reputation far beyoud what the facts warrant. It first attracted atten tion from the report8 of non professional observers who were unaMe to rlistinguish the differenee between actual diseaae of the lungs and worn out-ppople with dispeptic minds and bodies. ThÍ8 had been tho must fruitful aource of popular errors in regard to Minnesota, California, and other places of reaort, aome of which, years ago, had a great reputation, though now, no one thinks of recommending the same aa a place of residence for thoae afliictbd with phthisis. It is a diffioult matter to oollect reliable medical statistica in an old settled country, even when conilucted by the mostcareful professional observers. Iu a new country all such observatious are neceasarily full of error, particularly so, when the observer is seeking cases to establish certaipet theorie3 If tbis is the case with medical men, how is it with non professional observers who talk so briskly about "the liver ooraplaint," " consumption," all of which are mingled in a delightful grum ble in tbeir mindsi' The truth is Colorado suddenly acquired its reputation with no date to buildupon; that is, before it had been tested aa a resort for consurnptives. The resuit was, that when the flrst rush of this sort of patients to Colorado began, a very large proportion of those who had organic disease of the lungs either died suddenly, 01 rapidly grew worse. Then the new8papers of Colorado, as well as aome of the physicians, set up a sort of school-boy wail, protesting against their fair Territory being a hospital for patients were bound to die - some time, as we all are. The fact is, Colorado has been greatly overratedas a resort for actual oonsuraptives. Eaw winds and fierce storma are oommon in several months of thd year. Moreover a high altitude increases proportionately thi rate of respiration, thus irritates diseased lungs and greatly increases the liability to violent and fatal oeroorrhage. I do not believe thereis an intelligent physician in Colorado who will indorae tbe present popular idea that Colorado is one of the very best resorts for those who really have diseases of the lung tissue. After a few years more of experience in the effects of Colorado air, probably, physicians will no longer advise patients who are actually suffering from phthisis to try that región. OÜT-DOOR LIFE. anywhere is the great prophylactic which literally " leaves in the shadu " the whole materia medica and the whole medical profession. Not only is such a lifea very " good thing totake" as apreventative, but also as a ourative. Of course we all know that a dry olimate, olear skies and equable temperatura are mportant considerations. We also know ;hat Colorado is far superior in this respect to our Lake región or the Eastern States. Men and women who are worn down with overwork, or the dissipations offashonable lif'e, those sufferiug from dispep sia and a lack of nutrition - go to Colorado or anywhere in a clear bracing air and are wonderfully benefltted thereby. They run away from their bad habits or exhausting occupations, lead an outdoor life, thus gain appetite and good digestión, henee every organ is supplied with abundance of pure blood ; so physically they are " born again " A majority of these vory men and women go home to heir bad habits, or unhealthful occupaions, know as little about the real causes of this " new birth " which they have exjerienced as did Nioodemus about the ' necond birth." THE CLI1TATE OF CALIFORNIA. ias become such a well-worn subject I ehall touch it very tenderly lest it fall in jieces. The Northern portion of the itate is no more healthful than ruuch of oar Eastern country. The oonsutnptive can find a delightful climate in Central and Southern California, by tnoving about according to the season, from sea coast to foot hills Yet prominent physicians of San Francisco state that the results of eendiug consumptive patients to Los Angelos have not been as satisfac tory as they anticipated, or is generally supposed. The valleys of New Moxico and the plaius of Southwestern Texas undoubtedly afford the very best climate. But those regions are practically inaocessible to a majority ofinvalids. Without doubt a very moderate altitude, dry atmosphere and even teniperature are the important climate iufluences to be oonsidered in the cure if arresting the progress of phthiaics. MINERAL SPRINO8 do not, of course, come under the head of olimatic iufluences, but as they are "all the rage " of late, they must be noticed. I suppose it is the homeopathie principie of ' shaking " which imparts the virtues to our numerons wonderful medicinal aprings, otberwise one must drink a barrel or two of water to get one small dese of any of the salts coutained thereift. However, it is a comfort to think that mankind can be benefitted by humbugs. It is an excellent thing for people to patronize mineral springt when it takes them away from ovurwork, bad habita and dissipation, and takea them where they will consider it a sort of religious duty to take exercise and fresh air, to rise some time during the morning, to use pure cold water both outside and in, and occasionally, at least, to " throw physio to the doga."

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus