The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1868-07-16
Relations of Climate TO Phthisis Pulmonalis.
BY PROF. II. p. GATCHELL

When we consider that the temperate
zone is and ever has been the seat of pow
Ter, that is the birthplace of civilization
the home of learning and of art, when we
consider further that pulmonary consump
ton, In that zone, destroys more
persons than any other one disease
amounting in some regions to a fifth OF
more of the entire population-and that
its victims are taken, for the most part
from the mass of youthful adult, it becomes
a matter of deep and painful interest to
investigate this terrible destroyer of the
human race in all possible relations, in
the hope that some means may be found
for diminishing its ravages
| Among those relations none is more in
fuential than that of climate, notwith-
standing the efforts that have been made,
of late years, to show that this disease is,
in measure independent of latitude. 1t
may prove not uninteresting to note some
of the changes of the professional mind
on this subject.
When more than thirty years ago |
commenced to read and think with refer
ence to it, the almost universal custom
was to send consumptiyes South-to die.
Almost from the beginning | protested
against the practice, and now / protest
against the indiscriminate forwarding of
consumptives to rigorous northern
climates to die Of their chilling influence
as they formerly died from the relaxing
and feyer-exciting character of the hot,
moist lowlands of our Gulf States.
In either case physicians have acted
from no scientific acquaintance with the
relations of climate to the disease and
their advice has prevailed, not because
they knew more about the matter than
their patients, but because they were sup
posed to know more; when, in fact, they
had merely shared the popular impress
sions of the day, derived from rumors of
recoveries IN one or the other region
But so great has been the change of
professional opinion within the last few
years that now we find writers contending
that there is quite as much consumption
in warm as in cold regions, and that, in
high northern Attitudes, it disappears
entirely. This is to be regarded as merely
a new vagary Of the medical mind to
which, as the history of medicine shows,
it has been so much addicted -t~
In order to obtain scientific basis for
an opinion of the relations of climate to
this as well as other diseases, have made
careful and thorough analysis of the NOR
tality statistics of the United States for
1850, and with reference to leading die
eases for 1860. This has involved not a
little labor in making the necessary calcu-
lations but the labor has been richly re-
warded in the results
How defective soever I'll Sc statistics
no in oiato, Of &c
generallp conceded that the deficiencies
so nearly balance, that a pretty fair com
parison can be made with their help, Of
the relative aggregate mortality of diff
ferent States and sections.
But whether the deficiency is equally
great i'll all sections or not, there is no
reason to think that one disease is any
more imperfectly reported than another;
so that there was no material obstacle in
the way of estimating the ratio of deaths
from any given disease to the general
mortality. Let us interrogate the Stats
tics. In order to do this with the great
est success it is necessary to compare large
areas; The larger the areas and the great
er the populations compared the less
the chance of error. Peculiar causes may
operate not merely within the limits of
town, but throughout a county or state to
increase or diminish the mortality in an
unusual degree. But the larger the area
the less likely are such causes to be felt.
For the sake of comparison, | divide
the country into northern section, in
Guiding, as nearly as possible, all north of
the 42d parallel, into a southern, includ-
ding as nearly as possible all south Of the
35th parallel, and into middle section,
including all between these two parallels.
These divisions, however, extend for 1859
only to the western line of Missouri, there
being no statistics for that year of any
value beyond. For 1860 this line has
been extended to the western boundaries
of Kansas and Nebraska The Mountain
States and those on the Pacific will receive
special notice.
[ farther divide the country into an
eastern, or Atlantic section, including all
the States that lie entirely or in part east
of the Allegheny Mountains ; central
section, including the States that lie be-
tween the eastern section and the Missis-
sippi river; western section, including
the States that lie between the Mississippi
and the mountains; a mountain section,
including the States that lie between the
western section and the Sierra Nevada
mountains with their continuation in the