, 1884-10-02
A HEALTHY CITY.
Lowest Mortality. Record in the
Union.
A Chat With the Doctors on the
Subject.
Nervous Diseases the Worst Attic
ton.

- A~oAehJ ptaSCs Nv NlNl
of its size in the Union has a better
mortality record than this. Situated so
far above the sea level. with no marshes
or swamps near it, the usual contagious
diseases which infest other localities more
favored in other respects never visit it.
As an example of its extreme salubrity
there were in the last two months only
four deaths, and two of these were hope
lessly i'll when they came here.
Wishing to learn if the present were an
exceptionally healthy period, a reporter of
The LEADER sought several of the lead
ing physicians and interviewed them.
Is it unusually healthy, doctor?' he
asked of 4 well know medical practitioner.
mo, it is not, Z" was the reply. There
has been considerable sickness among
children during the last month, but it is
gradually decreasing. No, | don't regard
the last two months as exceptionally
healthy, but there has been very lew fatal
cases.
Seeking another of the disciples of Es-
culapius, the reporter asked:
How is Cheyenne, doctor, a healthy
city?"
II believe" said the doctor slowly, "I
believe that if there was an accurate rec
ord of the deaths which occur in thus city
kept that Cheyenne would make a better
showing than any city in the United
States. Fatal cases are extremely rare
here, and there is little or no malaria"
The only exception hat l know Of"
he continued, sis that of mountain fever.
This is a disease peculiar to the high alti-
tude, and is caused to a certain extent by
the atmosphere being so extremely rare. |
know Of no other
DO you consider the present Summer
as unusually healthy
YES; with adults, but not with chill
dren. Still, 1 don't know that it is any
more 80 than former seasons in that re-
spect."
Isn't this climate peculiarly condu-
sive to nervous diseases ?n
Yes, it is, he replied. The extreme
rarity of the atmosphere compels more
frequent respiration, or in simple Anglo
Saxon, we have to breathe %oftener, CON
sequently the heart and lungs have to do
more work here than the would in a lower
altitude"
To those whose organizations are pc
culiarly sensitive this is a bad climate. 1t
is far worse for women than men. how
ever. In former years the wives of
the army officers who were stationed in
this region, would have to be sent back
East to recuperate after having been here
two or three years. A visit of two or
three months would be sufficient for them
to recover, and they would probably pass
a year or two before being similarly
afflicted"
What was the case then is the case
now. Very few Eastern women who come
here from a much lower altitude can
stand this climate, and it is folly for them
10 undertake it without making frequent
visits, say once in every two or three
years, to a lower country. Men who have
delicate nervous organizations are often
afflicted in the same mar ner, but as l
have stated, the instances are extremely
rare.
In II conversation with another physi-
clan, the reporter spoke to him about the
prediction made by Eastern savants in re-
lation to the cholera, and asked him if he
thought Cheyenne would be in danger of
a visit from the scourge.
Not if the proper sanitary measures
are taken,' he replied. AT the time the
cholera passed overland and arrived at
Fort Laramie, none of the actual residents
of the place were afflicted" The high
altitude would not prevent, because il
crossed the highest mountains in India.
| don't think hat it will arrive here next
season, however, and there need be no
immediate alarm on account Of the
cholen."