Democratic messenger., 1888-10-06
The nastern Shore vindicated.


The Eastern Shore Is indicated al
last and by an eminent authority. We
have long tried TO convince strangers that
ours was not the unhealthy country that
their prejudices led them TO believe II, and
DR.. Chancellor Of the State Board ol
health Is the authority that proclaims the
Eastern Shore Of Maryland as compared
with other sections Of the United States,
the most healthy. The following Is what
he says about It.
"The Eastern Shore counties Of Mary.
land have long rested under the unjust
and damaging reproach Of being more
subject to malarial fevers than the coun.
ties west of Chesapeake bay. OF course,
the question Of the relative health Of diff.
fercnt sections ofthe Srasss I e.s.ssor 'so---
curately determined until we have a
comprehensive system Of collecting vital
and mortuary statistics; but personal oh
servation, coupled with the data furnish
ed by local health officers and correspon.
dents throughout the State, would seem
to indicate that, whatever the condition oi
the Eastern Shore may have been In form.
er years as regards health, 1t Is now more
exempt from disease than any other part
of the State. and especially Is this true
with respect TO malarial fcvers and pull.
monary consumption"
From the data obtained, which will be
more particularly given in future report
Il Is quite evident that the Eastern Shore
OF Maryland furnishes the grandest atmos.
phere for persons suffering from pulmo.
nary affections to be found In this coun.
try, and by timely seeking II many suffer.
ers may be permanently cured and Others
greatly relieved. Some writers deny that
such good results can be attained excep,
in elevated districts, but It must be admit.
ed that these opinions have no reasonable
foundation. We cannot discredit those
witnesses who testify that Aiken, s. G..
and Jacksonville, Fla, (now unhappily
stricken with yellow fcver) have proved
cmincntly beneficial to some consump'
tivcs, or that such places as the Kirghis
Steppcs, OF Asia, enjoy complete immunity
from consumption, although actually be.
low the sea level.
Many localities on the Eastern Shore
might be pointed out which offer attrac.
tions as n winter resort or all.the.year'
round home preferable TO either South
Carolina, Florida or California, all oi
which lack the atmospheric tonicity OF
the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where
the temperature is modified and rendered
more uniform by large bodies Of salt wa
ter, being warmer in the winter and cool
er in the summer than Is generally the
case In the same latitude elsewhere.
The relation between soil-moisture and
consumption was first pointed ont by Dir
Bowditch, Of Boston, in 1868. and subsc'
qucntly verified by DR.. Buchanan, of Eng
land, whose investigations led to the gen.
cral conclusion that the amount Of con.
sumption is in proportion to the damp
ness of the soil. The soil on the Eastern
Shore is composed for the most part, OF
sand and loan, which greatly facilitate
the natural drainage by allowing the sur
face water TO rapidly pcrcolate, so that
even after heavy fall of rain the ground
rapidly dries feature Of no little inn
purtance, as il contributes to the dryness
of the soil and the surrounding air impor.
tant desidcratc in the all ovation of pull
monnary diseases.