The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-01-22
FLORIDA DISEASES.

Those That are Prevalent I'm the Penin-
suIa, Where They Rage, and How They
are Sometimes Cured.
This is the next important point for
consideration, and | think the verdict
must be :'healthy all over during the
winter months and unhealthy in the
summer except directly on the coast"
The diseases to be guarded against in
the summer are yellow fever, which,
when it comes, often makes clean
sweep. 1t is not, strictly speaking, a
disease peculiar to the country, but is
usually brought here from Havana, or
some West India port, and close quar-
antine is observed against it. There
has only been one case of this in Flor
ida during the past summer so far as /
know, that of United States naval Of
ficer at Key West. Then we have
''denguen or "broken bone fever;"
this is malarial in its origin and, inflicts
upon the sufferer an experience similar
to a severe beating on all parts of the
body with heavy stick. 1t is very
prevalent, but seldom fatal, usually
yielding readily to proper treatment.
Remittent bilious fever, chills and
fever, congestive feyers and all kinds
of liver complaints are common and
often cause great mortality. These are
aggravated by the coarse manner of
living adopted by the majority of the
people, which will again refer to I'M
. der another heading. Then the lack in
SO many places of''good water is a draw
back to health. Some persons build
tanks or sink cisterns to catch the rain
water for drinking purposes as the
limestone of the country which impreg-
mates so much of the well-water is of a
soft, rotten species, far different from
the hard stone of the North, and it be-
comes in many cases producing cause
of illness. Dysentery or ''lux'' is
prevalent at seasons, and carries off
good number of settlers.
Among minor diseases we have neu-
ralgia, an occasional case of rheuma-
tism, and sore eyes, the latter caused
by the glare of the sun upon the sand.
Some people as preventive have to
wear green or blue glass spectacles the
greater part of the summer.
Most of the ovemaladies are chiefly
to be dreaded during the hot weather,
say from the early part of June until
the beginning of November, then the
sun draws the malaria and poisonous
vapors from the .swamps and ponds of
the interior and every breeze is laden
with them.
Calomel and quinine become the chief
medicines of the people, and hundreds
are saliyated by iniudicious dosing with
the former. Some may almost be said
to feed on calomel when attacked by
sickness of any kind. Those living on
the coast are, owing to the excess of
salt air, comparatively free from some
of the ills which attack jewellers in the
interior, but now and again they catch
malaria even there, though it is not SO
severe on the system and is more read
ily overcome.
As to ordinary colds, which are the
cause of some dangerous diseases in the
North, we have them, but they are very
light. As rule you can 90 out in rain,
get your clothing wet through several
times during the day, allow it to dry on
you in the sun and seldom experience
any harm from the operation, so far as
catching cold goes. You can even sleep
in the open air without much danger
and perhaps feel all the better for it.
Among diseases that afflict residents
in the North the following are compar-
atively unknown in Florida, Any cases
that may exist have not, it is safe to
say, been contracted in this climate:
Consumption and all lung diseases,
asthma, heavy colds, diphtheria, severe
sore throat, scarlet fever and catarrh.
For the last named the climate will
nearly always work cure without the
aid of any medicine whatever. Cor.
Detroit Post.