The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-03-19
BEALTH HINTS
For Old and Young.
nY FELTT l. OSWALD VI n.
Author az Physical ElHcltion"; Household
Remedies. 'The Bible OF Nature" etc.
CHAPTER CIV.
CLIMATIC HEALTH nIYrs.

honestly believe that temperance consists in
abstinence from alcohol, aud calmly coutnuo
TO fiddle with strong coilce aud nicotine. or
gorge themselves with indigcstible pepper
StrWS.
With similar complacency many we'll mean
ins physicians content themselves with send
ing a sick man south. TO a niIder climate" IS
they call il, without troubling themselves about
the soil. the elevation, the food resources or tho
water supply OF the supposed hcaltiI-Tesort
Hence the disappointing experience Of many
imyalids in countries where others. afflicted
with similar complaints, have really recovered
their health.
What sort of a country for health is Texas
or California;" travellers are often asked by
persons who expect a reply in half dozen
words. We might As we'll ask lludoo for =
brief verdict on the sanitary condition OF the
A,iltic continent. IL seems a ner!cct puzzle
how Florida could ever get the reputation OF a
Eeaith-rcsprt for cDnsumptiyCs.' SAID lady OF
my acquaintance; I'VE had splendid weather
six days OF every week in the three months I
stad down there. and yet my cough got worse
aud worse till went back 10 Kentucky" She
had been a: Tampa and Key West aud would
hay" gone further south, but for her dread of
West Indian fever. Now, there is no doubt
that in some regions of the Flower State con
samrtiyes give this disease a rare chance Of
Development. aud might as we'll inUcuiate
themselves Win A Ealluu OF microbes. Is WAN
tho uot humld atmosphere OF the river syam,.5.
The redecming feature Of those lowlaut regions
Is their bright sunshine, that tempts the invalid
10 leave the Infected atmosphere OF las sick
room, while an abundant SUPPLY Of frrsh fruit
and vegetables is oltcn far more important than
an abundance of drugs But only the combua-
tIOn Of such advantages with that Of dry. pure
air, constitutes "a true sguitarium, and Florida,
with its - 600 square miles comprises more
f1tgn Hast In, f.a
neig b0rhooi Of Tallahassee for instance.
traveller, awakened from two DAYS trance.
might suppose himseft to have been carried back
10 southern Neutrality-suspicious. hills dry,
clean looking forests Of hardwood trees, and
dry, stoneimproycd roads A still more curious
hin oasis is that Of Brooksyillc, fernando
COu1ty, about midway between Tampa and
Cedar Keys. Swamps TO the north Of H. sWamps
or sandy enast.levcl south, cast and west; bnt
here an undcniable highland reg.on-hills that
occasionally rise 10 something like mountains,
rock cliffs aud rock springs aud platcaHs that
afford marvellous prospects over the surround
ing lowl1nds. BrOoksgIle itself stands on a
plateau OF that sort and here. under the paral-
lei Of the lower Nile Valley, enjoys the brccZes
and the pure cool water Of "A Swiss mountain
village. The miracle continues a few miles
along the coast TO oil Fort Taylor, but further
south the rolling bill country soon subsidies
into an ordinary "hummOck region: lakes
dot the lausCape aud become more and more
bog-iike rs we approach the deadly fens OF the
Everglades
There Is 10 longer any doubt that dry cold
air is Natures specific for the cure of pulmo-
nary disorders. aud theoretically the uplands
81 Manitoba could claim % be, in that respect,
better hellth-respris than any district OF the
orange climate. But practically must add
another very essential consideration: The
chance Of being able In persuade an invalid out
I OF the enchanted circle Of his rOujin habits
aud hereditary prciudices What good can the
I climate do Eim-a climate reached perhaps by
I long aud expensive journeys he refuses 10
/ leave his room and continues 20 re.iulcct his
4 lungs with the discasc--Ceis of his own breath :
\ ! remember the case Of q friend who left the
sand plains of western Missouri 10 cure his
1 weak lungs IN the bracing atmosphere Of the
\ Tennessee highlands. The Cheaunee5 of board
4 aud lodging in those highlands almost uompen-
stated the expenses Of the trip, but he had left
bis western home late 10 the year, aud few
. weeks after his afriya' in the mountains q
suowstorm siiTered the hlltops and that was
7 the last Of his sanitary enterprise. Sunny
days days with clOudles4 and pleasant after
/ moons. came repeatedly till long after the end
Y Of November, but as long IS "A boy COuld be
I hired for "A few cOppeT5 to run across the way
4 To the pUstoEiice the cautious health seeker
would not leave his room ~ all, but stuck 70
] Ills GllillcN -tDEEGI4 AiADhlUB NlpE after pipe,
/ till serious relapse Of bis disorder admOuisIed
1 hm that his program required change oil
some sort or other. lie then talked about try
4 ing Texas or New Mexico But in Texas too
| snawsturms sweep down 10 the very gates OF
/ Spanish America, and the man from Missouri
would have found abundant excuses for keep
4 ing his room again.
In Florida those excuses would have been
4 reduced - an occasional cold TainstOTm,--say
al II lr Naga
Der 10 March. In southern Florida the sun
| shine % i've out Of six days would have made
10 positively uncomfortable to live indoors after
/ 9 a. m, aud our IHvalid-with or without mis-.
/ gyings-might have consented To PASS the
/ afternoons outdoors. In other words, the eli,
mate would have cured him in spite Of his pre-.
judiCr as in Tennessee 10 kept him on thl
| sick-list in spite 81 the climate.
Which is the better cl.uatc2 would therefore
be question that needs qualification. The
one j. more effective Ia cOunteractng cOnsump
tiun micruJe-. The other is more apt TO coun
tcract prcjud.cts. From purely physiological
standpoint the braciug cool air o! tho Alleguuy
| highlands would be out aud out preferable, 8UC
would az any time Of the year answer It's pur
pose more promptly 10 I'm invalid Of pluck anC
hygiuuic principles better word, perhaps
than hyEcHic insight, since the clcaresi ccnyic
tigus often fail 20 outweigh the lack Of mora
stamina. In the ease Of a prejudice TiddeI
patient. the florida upland regions w5uld, per
haps, be preferable, at least from October q
| May The Midsummer heat Of the 10Th parallel
combined with tho frequency Of cl0udbur5t
like rainshOwCrs and the enluyia Of rank tan
giles Of aquatic plants breed miasma that can
not be COuntcracUcd by an elevation Of less thar
800 feet; but IN Winter even loYer hills remain
for weeks exempt from tho faiutest trace o.
swamp air; also from mosketOes. It wOul,
be "A great mistake 10 suppose that in any on,
Of our Gulf States tho insect plague is uni
vcgsal. perennial, all .ctiOn. The fact is tina
outside OF tho Everglades no part Of TlOrid.
can boast a mOsketO crop equaling that of tn
jersey coast swamFs; aud in many UPLAND
regions between Cedar Keys aud FernandiHj
even "black Enats" become too rare ate
Christmas to spoil tho perfection Of an idea
Winter resort.
The State Of Texas has q similar upland Oasi
near the head waters Of tho Navas8ta River
especially west and northwest Of the town o
Palestine, where q range Of hills. swelling il
terraces from the Valley Of the Trinity, rise
into lair-sIzsd mountains with vegetation
resembling that Of the upper CarOinas. Tn,
Winters are rather chilly on the pla.eaus o
that highland region, but the low latitud
asserts itself ia Spring, when the fOwershrub
Of the hedges and gardens swarm with butter
flies rarely seen outside Of Mexico Unlik
the hills OF the Rio Graude Valley, the mount
aims Of Palestine are deusely wooded-forminI
the southeastern extremity Of tho forest high
lands OF our Atlantic Slope
Farther west tie pTairies get ilatteT and NOR
aud more trceless, except where the sandy ex
pause is intcrseeted by riverbcd, with
fringe OF vegetation and sometimes Of rock