The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-21
THE UREMOUNTAIN AIR
CONSUMPTION AND CLIMATE INVES-
TlGATED BY EDWIN A. CURLEY.
Why the Heights Of Western North Caro-
lima Are Beneficial to Weak Lungs
One Breathes Oftener and Deeper-Bal-
sam Odors in the Pine Woods.
[Snecial Correspondence.l

| Especial Correspondence.l
WATNEsVLa5, n. c., Feb. i arrived
at Waynesviile, Haywood county, early in
| January, and took up nay quarters at Hay
wood White Sulphur Springs, which are
| situated on the largest expanse Of gently
sloping bottom land that have yet seen.
| The elevation is 2,736 feet, or about 500 feet
above that of Asheville. Richland creek,
a wide and shallow mill stream, murmurs
and ripples along over bottom of small
powders in front of the grounds, giving
the necessary expression to lovely land
scape.
! With very few foothills lofty mountains
| spring almost directly from the valley on
| either side, taking slope Of some 45 degs.
| at the end of a rise of a thousand feet land,
| vet never becoming precipitous. Up the
stream some seven or eight miles the val
| lev seems entirely closed in by six thou
| sand feet giants, while in the opposite
| direction the possibility of egress without
! scaling the mountain side is more appar
| ent
The main street of Waynesville is on the
| almost level center line of long ridge of
| slight elevation, well placed for natural
| drainage Nature has done much for this
beautiful valley, and it has only remained
| for man to add the comforts of civilization
wsSo marring the excellent sanitary
conditions that she has provided The
Richland valley seems to me as perfectly
sheltered as rs compatible with thorough
circulation of mountain air and as open
as perfect shelter from cold blasts will per-
nit.
Were / building a home with especial
reference to the needs of a consumptive
wife or daughter, and with freedom of
choice it should be in the mountains, in
some such sheltered region as this on land
soping southwardly. Her sitting room
should be in the second story of wing con-
nected with the main building at one cor
ner and commanding a through draught
to the four cardinal points. 1t should have
a large bow window to receive the rays of
the rising and the setting sun, and outside
a balcony with adjustable hoods Of bright
canvas instead of roof The floor should
be of narrow boards well oiled, and no per-
manent carpet, no India mating, would
conceal accumulations of dirt.
The heating should be by steam. In no
event should it be by hot air drawn from a
cellar. Water should come by an iron pipe
from a mountain spring; it should be hot
and cold in the bathroom, and the general
sanitary arrangements should be as perfect
as those of a well ordered city hospital,
while with all this there should be as little
as possible to directly suggest the nome %
an invalid. Heavy curtains should not
drape the windows. The question should
be, How much sunshine can well be
bOrne" and never, How much light can
we contrive to excluded" Garden tools and
croquet and the homes of congenial neigh
bors should tempt the invalid to outdoor
exercise, and the hours of rest and activity
should be as nearly as possible those of the
birds. With such home and such sur
roundings, in the best of climates, there
would be reason for hope in many an other
wise hopeless case.
All OF these desirable things cannot be
commanded in any hotel or sanitarium.
But one can approximate them. He can
make sure Of a sunny room. He can often
secure corner room, commanding the ris-
ing and the setting sun. He can provide
fair sanitary conditions and many excuses
for being out in the sunshine. But for
woman he cannot so easily provide in such
place useful occupation affording suffi-
cient exercise, and yet not Overta king the
powers of the invalid Such occupation is
great desideratum, and many cOnsump-
tives brood over their troubles and sud
denly collapse who might have lived for
years had their vital forces been sustained
by sufficiently engrossing and suitable ex-
ercise
There is a sort of exercise, involuntary,
insensible and ever persistent, which may
be deemed one of the most important con-
siderations for which we seek mountain
climate for consumptive patients
If We consciously try to do so we can ex-
pand the lungs much more than normally,
or We can breathe oftener than usual, or
we can do both together; and we must do
one or both of these when engaged in vio-
lent exercise, because we then require more
oxygen. And we must breathe a greater
bulk of air on the mountain than at the
seaside, because it is thinner and lighter:
there Is a less actual quantity of oxygen in
cubic foot. We require about as much
rs at the sea level, consequently we must
breathe Oftener or deeper, or both. Prac-
tically we do both without being conscious
of the fact.
II the air is per cent. lighter one man
will breathe about 3 per cent. faster and
per cent, deeper, and another 4 per cent !
faster and per cent. deeper, each uncon-
Sciously solving the problem for himself in
the way which requires the least exertion, /
the equation of least effort" varying with
individuals. And at an elevation where
we require per cent. more bulk of air you
may get 1t by 10 per cent. greater effort of
the lungs, while / get it by - per cent |
more effort, and a woman whose waist has |
been laced ont of shape may be unable TO /
breathe without 20 or p per cent. Of extra /
effort. 1t depends upon the lung capacity I
and power of each individual.
in consumption this extra work of the 4
lungs is especially to be desired, il il is not /
too great. FOR in consumption the power /
TO resist the disease depends upon the vital 4
energy of the lung tissue, and that vital 1
energy depends upon exercise, precisely as /
the strength of the blacksmith's arm Is the .
result Of many heavy strokes. General 4
outdoor exercise increases the force of 1
breathing, and thus by use strengthens the /
lungs against consumption But evident /
ly special exercise of the organ attacked .
will produce the greater result, other F.
things being equal, and no other special .
exercise of the lungs can be so perfect as
the increased respiration involved il a .
higher elevation.
A glass cabinet has been invented in
which ~ produce a similar result, but one .
cannot live in it permanently or even for 4
a few hours with comfort. II is evidently 4
dangerous. and a good, rigid contract to 4
blow up children's toy balloons would ne .
much more effective We shall not oe able
70 obtain artifcially the same result that
we now get from mere elevation till we
build hospital ward Of plate Glass sup