Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-06-08

it at all necessary to ascend to uncom-
monty high attitudes TO feel the begiu-
ing of similar Disturbances.
Mountain air has stimulating proper
ties, but it is question whether the tenn
porary excitement felt by inhabitants Of
the plains on rising into mountainous
regions is favorable evidence of the
healthfulness of rarefed air. At any
rate, it may be assumed that, beyond
certain limit, the human organism does
not find what is necessary to continue il
unchecked and unimpaired, and there is
then decided falling off in the general
vitality. Travellers have often had occa-
sion to mention peculiar sense of dis
comfort connected with mountain travel.
They ascribe it to the novelty of unac-
customed exercise and hardships. Habit.
it was thought, would easily overcome it,
but careful observations have ascertained
that a rarefed atmosphere produces in
furious effects even on people whose or
dinary dwelling-plsce is on high lands.
A diminutien OF physical and intellec-
tual activity has been noticed again and
again among some Of the Alpine popu-
lations. In the highlands Of Eugadine,
for instance, the visitor is impressed
with the low standard of vital energies
which he finds in the inhabitants. A few
OF them only take an active part in pub
lie affairs. They mostly live in state
of mental torpor and political indiffer-
ence. Statistical tables have been drawn
up by French physician for the pur-
pose of classifying the French Depart-
ment according to their respective rates
OF mortality, and these tables show that
the highest mortality prevails in noun
famous districts, such as the Alps Sa-
voy the Jurs. the Vosges.
The inferences drawn from this are
confirmed by the observations Of another
Frehch physician, who spent ten years
on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and
on the Mexican table lands. When he
left the plain for the highlands he ex-
pected to find physical signs ofincreased
vital power and activity. Instead ofthat
he noticed a general depression. In
place of lively, full-blooded well-de-
veloped, and robust race, he found peo-
pie Of quiet and sluggish dispo sition
with pallid and salloW complexion, and
Aabby, unimproved muscles. He dis
covered, from repeated experiments
that this was due 10 diminution of oxy-
gen in the blood, the result Of an insult
eient condensation of that gas under too
feeble an atmospheric pressure. The
oxygen is no longer forced into the blood
in normal proportion, and the system is
consequently impoverished and weak
ened.
In Mexico, at a height Of about seven
thousand feet, the symptoms of the de-
bllitating action Of rarehed air are clear
" manifest The Mexican of the high
lands is not energetic; he is fond of re-
Taxation and rest The natives of the
lower levels are more enterprising aud
move active, and statistical returns show
that the increase Of the population is
much smaller above an elevation of six
thousand feet than it is below that limit.
The sluggishness and degeneracy of
the Peruvian race are probably due to a
similar cause, and the decline Of the
Thibetan population may be traceable
to the same origin.
Excelsior IS good wstchWord, but,
physically speaking, it is evidently not
safe to act upon it with boundless temer-
lty. How far it may be secure to trust
it in another sense we leave the "philoso-
pher of the lofty tower" to determine.