Litchfield enquirer., 1869-01-28
,UNsHINE FOR THE CONSULTATIVE.
BY DR. HENRY T. BowDrrcH.

@s1T t%%#a CftAF syE3fFf es7lT Fi,f~t- 71Is.sT3 AIss BY DIR. HENRY I. BowDTTCH. Us
 We have been told by some consump- tiyes that one of the best prescriptions we have made has been their removal from a north room to the sunny south chamber AS we write, two cases come to mind, stri- klngly illustrative of the suns benign in Huence., We had been attending, at an orphan asylum, a girl about twelve years old, who had been long i'll of severe ty- phoia lever. She was wholly prostrated ID mlnd and body, and emaciated to the last degree: It was plain that she was fall Ing into that depressed condition of all the powers of life that so often precedes consumption. Day after day we visited ner, put all recuperatiye power seemed lost. Half dead and alive, the little crea- Iufe neither spoke nor moved and ate on- " on compulsion. One day, on our way 10 vlsltFher, we felt that elastic thrill which the warm rays, of the sun impart 1n the early cool weather of spring We invol- untarily leaped along, and Were instantly struck with the fact that ssvirtue had gone sunlight and warmth of the street, and en- tered that northern chamber, the dermito- ry of the poor orphan That ,inspiriting influence the invalid had never experien. ced in the slightest degree during the whole of her sickness, as, owing to it's pe. 5cullar situation, not Q ray of direct sun light had ever entered her chamber. We were shocked, and for the first time con sidered the depth of her loss, and our own remissness in regard to her. The air of the room had been pure, the ceilings of the infirmary were lofty, the attendants had been faithful and sagaciots Nothing seemed lacking, in fact, to restore health. Yet 1t did not come. On the contrary, there seemed constant downward tenden- 'cy. GA sun bath in the warm rays of this delicious spring day is what this girl needs, We instantly said to the sister su- perior. This lady gladly consented to the change, and placed the little patient in an other room having Q southern aspect, and consequently filled with sunlight The in- valid immediately recognized the change, and asked, in her weak way, to have the curtains raised, so as to let in the full blaze of tho light. i Soon, she wanted to sit up, and directed that tho easy chair, in which she was p.opped, should be so pla- ced as to allow her whole body below her face to be exposed to the direct rays of the sun. It was the natural tendency of dis ease, seeking for all lifesrenovating infu- ences. And we have never met with so marked and so rapid improvement as ina mediately began in the body and mind of the girl Appetite and strength increased daily, and with them burst forth again all the joyousness. of the child's. heart, ,.. .ar,
 Another analogous case, which, although we do not demonstrate by it the influence of the sun alone, We cannot forbear to name, because by such, examples we i'm, press perhaps on the minds of our readers the real principles underlying the whole question. A lady aged about thirty, resi- dent in the northern part of New England, consulted us for undoubted tubercular dis ease of the lungs, Her. house was we'll situated, and on the sides towards the south was a small piazza resting on stone steps, which was raised two or three feet above the ground. The winter was approaching and rules were to be given. Having full faith in these divine influences of pure air and sunlight, we directed that she should sit out on this piazza every day during the winter, unless 1t were too stormy. It was so arranged as to shut out the cool air on three sides, and to admit the full blaze of sunlight in front. Here, according to our directions, she used to sit, wrapped in furs, reading or writing for, several hours each day during the following winter, and with most excellent results. She was directed frequently to make deep inspirations, in order. to fill the lungs with pure air. She was never chilled, because the suns rays and her warm clothing prevented it. She never z took cold" there. On the contra ", the balmy influence exerted upon her by her daily sun and air bath were so grateful; her breathing became so much easier after each of them. that. whenever n storm came, and prevented resort to the piazza, the invalid suffered in consequence thereof. Whether these remarks will prove to our readers that want of sunlight may be reckoned among the causes of consump- tion may we'll be doubted, but we trust that, at least, they will convince some scep- tics that sunlight has a potent influence in raising the human body from various weak nesses that sometimes are the precursors of fatal phthisis. s.--AEuptic IontbLy for Feb.