Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-07-02
Effects Of Climate or Health,

"A recent pcrusal Oh Mr. Lees prize
essay on the effect Of climate on tubcr.
culous disease has suggested to our mind
how much is yet to be learned on the
important subject of the relations be-
tween climate and health. The most
imperfect ideas concerning it are sti /
prevalent to some extent, even in the
medical pro ession, chiefly on account of
the want of careful Investigation. There
is tendency in our community at least,
to place an exaggerated estimate upon
the salubrity of foreign counties, and to
underyaluc in this respect, our own.--
How often is the climate of America
abused for its supposed tendency to pro-
duce nervous excitsbility, insanity,
dyspepsia; how eften we are told that
the climate of New England tends Pc
culiarly to favor the development of
consumption, pleurisy and lung fever ?
And such statements are made with as
much confidence as if they were founded
on carefully ascertained facts. 1t is
hoped that the more exact method of
study which of late years has character
!
in other departments, will ere long throw
as much light on this subject as it has on
many others. Already an appeal to
statistical information has disclosed the
facs that warm climates, instead of being
to great extent exempt from the tub
erculous pulmonary diseases, are,in fact.
quite obnoxious to it, the fact seems to
I be. that the mortality from phthisic is
pretty we'll distributed over the earth
1t is common iallacy to suppose that
the prevailing diseases of any country
are owing exclusively to the climate !;
many other circumstances, such as the
habits morals, and race of the inhabitants,
/ are to be taken into consideration, of
which some are of the utmos, importance
since they are capable of notifications
as well be followed by an improvement
in the general health of the community.
This is often seen in the beneficial results
Of sanitary reform. Thus, the prev
! lencc of phthisic in this community can
not be accounted for by the influence OF
climate alone. since the disease is almost
T
cren, climate. The habit of sleeping and
working in close rooms, the incessant
occupation of mind and body which are
characteristic Of our people, probably all
predjspose to this disease, if they are not
among it. exciting causes.
There are many circumstances which
render it probable that the climate OF
New England is conductive to good
health and longevity. This is shown in
our great exemption from diseases; we
have no fever and asuc, no bilious,
remittent or yellow fcvers. 1t is also
shown by the unusal longevity of our
native inhabitants. We believe there
are few places on the globe whose
inhabitants have attained greater age
than ours. We have already called at
ten,ion to this, Of which any one can con-
vince himself oy consulting the list OF
deaths in the daily papers. To take a
single example-in The Daily Advertiser
of Oct. lith, we find in the list Of deaths
twenty individuals whose ages are re-
corded, and who died in Massachusetts.
OF these. three were over 80 years OF
age; three between So and 90; three be-
tween 80 and S5; one 7S, and one 6S-
thus more than one half were over 6S.-
We believe that the sudden transitions
of our climate, from cold to warm and
from warm to cold, which are thought
to be so trying to the constitution, are
in reality great benefit. The highest
development of health is not to be found
in all uniform climate, any more than is
great intellectual vigor; variety of wea-
ther is aslimportant to health as change
of exercise is to the muscular strength, or
variation of diet to the we'll being of the
whole system Boston Medical and
Surgical journal.