Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-08-03
HEALTH NOTESF0RAUGUST
DR.. HAMMOND GIVES ADVICE FOR MA
LARlAS FAVORlTE MONTH.

l-hRIAO fANOhl ! I WIN n
The Benefits of Pure Mountain Air Con
trss.ed with those of Sen-Bathing-
MOSQUITOES as Factors in Health-The
Great Need of Change-Experience
with Cholera-Water in
the Mountains.
A question very frequently put to me by
my patients at this season of the year (and
doubtless other physicians have like eX-
perience) is, "Shall 90 to the mountains
or to the sea shore - Unless | have some
knowledge of their peculiarities of consti.
tuition or disease, answer to the effect
that il is impossible to say which is the
more suitable. Nothing can determine the
point definitely except an actual trial. If
the interrogation lives permanently in the
vicinity of the ocean usually tell him to
20 to the mountains If his home is in the
interior advise him to try the seashore.
In either case add of it does not suit
Won try the other" Generally speaking it
is a mere matter of choice, depending up
on other factors than health, change being
the one thing needful, and, as | remarked
in former paper, a removal to place
few miles distant from that at which
person permanently resides will often be
sufficient to give the necessary change OF
air.
Undoubtedly, however, mountain re
gion is pre-eminently suited for some peo-
pie, as the seashore is for others. The
trouble is that we cannot always predict
which will be the more beneficial till we
have called actual experience to our as
Sistance.
THE DIFFERENCE IN AIR.
There must, therefore, be differences be-
tween the air of the mountains and that of
the seashore. Now let us see what those
differences are.
In the first place the air of mountains is
less dense than that OF the seashOre. 1t
contains less amount of oxygen in any
given quantity and. hence, in order that
the blood may be duly oXygenized, the
respiration must be more active. a per
son living in mountainous regions, breath
ing as he does, more actively than one llV-
ing on a lower plane, has more FULLY de-
veloped lungs and a larger chest. 1t would
seem proper, therefore, that those VINO
nave narrow chests and a tendency to lung
diseases will do well to spend a month or
two in the summer in high attitudes and
in climbing mountain sides. | have ire
uuently witnessed the good results of such
a course of life. The greater part of New
Mexico for Instance is from ; 600 to 1000
feet above the level of the sea. | have seen
many weak, puuy narrow cheeted men and
women who at their homes on the sea.
board painted violently from the slightest
eXertion become after few months resi-
denCe in Santa Fe strong aud ruddy, with
their breathing capacity greatly increased
and able to walk brskly two or three
miles or climb up to the top of steep me
sa without losing their wind
Again, the air of mountains possesses IA
greater amount of ozone than that OF the
seashOre. What particular elect ozone
may have upon the health of man has not
yet been clearly made out. In some dlrec-
tionS 1t seems to be absolutely injurious.
There is good evidence to show that it is
often productive of bronchial affections
and especially of influenza. During cpl
denies of this disease an increased amount
of ozone has been found in the atmos-
phere,
On the other hand there is no doubt that
ozone il a great purifier OF the atmosphere
and it IL doubtless owing to the increased
amount of this agent III the air OF noun
tain regions that its salubrity is in great
measure due / have subjected putres-
cent meat and vegetables TO the action of
ozone and invariably the bad smell was
at once corrected. 1t may, therefore be
regarded rs destroyer OF certain germs
which are capable of producing disease.
This il especially true as regards what
we call maiaIIa, and winch, as everybody
knows, produces IN the human system
some very Characteristic diseases. Sever
al observers have found that this antag-
onism between ozone aud malarlous emaua
lions really exists. AT Fort Riley, i'll Kan
sas, where | was stationed several years
since, | observed that the WOrkmen who
lived in the low alluvial region OF country
bordering the river were extremely sub
iect to intermittent fever, while those
with the soldiers who inhabited the bar
racks, built on the high ground about
half mile from the river, were not at all
affected. | found Oh examination that
ozone was, during the warm season, pres
ent in very small quantity in the atmcs-
phere of The former locality, while in the
latter it existed in much larger proportion.
MALARIA's FAVoRIrE MONTH.
The month of August IS of all the sum
mer mouths that during which malarlal
diseases are most likely to prevail. For
persons suffering from such affections, or
who are liable to be attacked, the noun
tains aft rd safe refuge and one OF
which they should promptly avail them
selves few weeks spent at IN altitude
of from 900 to 3 900 feet above the sea OF
more, if it can be conveniently reached,
will Kill all the malarial germs in the sys
tenn and make them sale for at least an
other year.
Daring my service at Fort Riley cholera
prevailed on two occasions to a very great
extent. While it continued the air was
dry and contained no ozone, Now, ozone is
formed when an electric spark Is passed
through oxygen or common air The pc
culiar odor which we notice during the
working OF "A static4l electrical machine or
Immediately after an electrical discharge
during thunder storm is ozone. While
the cholera was at It's height at Fort Riley
a severe thunder storm occurred on each
occasion. The course of he epidemic was
at once arrested and at the same time
ozone reappeared in the atmosphere
In 1919, when | was medical officer OF
the troops that marched across the plains
from Fort LeaYenwOrth to santa Fe in
New Mexico, cholera remained with us
Selling two or three victims every day un
til we reached an altitude of 1000 feel
above the level of the sea, when it imme