The National tribune., 1891-11-12
HEAETH HINTS
For Old and Young.
BY FELIX L OSWALD. N. D.
CXXII.

CHANGE OF CLIMATE.

I
seemed extremely hauii 10 suit. Look here,
! Uncle, maybe you can't read at all?" inquired
/ the optCian, when lis customer had rejected
| some 40 different pair. Read? il could read
l wouldn't need any spectacles Boss" said
| Uncle Tom, in tone Of indignant surprise.
The managers of 4 climatic sanatarium often
| risk q similar reply from their fastidious
patients. "Curlble2 why, / would not have
left tho comforts Of my home and travelled so
many hundred miles If / were not troubled
with an incurablc disease."
Certain city physicians, indeed, make
practice OF disposing Of hopeless eases-dys-
prptiCs aud far gone cOusumptiyCs-in that
very manner. They bundled me OF to this
ont-ot the-way place 10 get rid OF me, fear"
/ the late Hermann Raster wrote from Cndowa.
4 in the highlands OF central Bohemia. "aGd /
/ suppose the proper thing for me 10 do, under
the circumstances. would be 10 get out of
| patience with the horrible tcdium aud return
post haste, 50 as to give them a chance 10 at
/ tribute my fate TO the fatigues of an untimely
Journey. The alternative is worse. Day after
\ day see dozens o! my fellow martyrs patiently
| listening ta dissertations on curative proper
| ties OF mineral solutions and climatic condi-
| tinus and other lies that they know 10 DO lies.
Heavens! haven't you got gun?' is my in
! ward comment bat !, too, have 10 grin aud
bear it,"
Poor Raster died a week after his return 20
Dresden; bat even the sufferers from less seri-
ous complaints frequently commit the error Of
mIstakIng watering-plaee for cuTe-all. The
very peculiarites Of atmospheric conditions.
etc. that would prove beneficial in special die
orders are apt To aggra yatc others-at least at
certain times Of the year. A victim % chronic
bronchitis aud catarrh went down 10 Tampa
Fla, year ago, aud seemed really to be bene-
nied by the incompaTlbiy pleasant Winter Of
that latitude; hut early in April tho Summer
Of the semi-trUpics set in with unusual fervor;
the refugee had relapse and in tho warm,
hamid atmosphere cOughed his lungs away IN
three months.
Lowland health resorts, may, however, prove
curative an cases Of asthma that defy the resto-
rItivo influence Of mountain air. The lungs
in certain forms of that mysterious complaint
known as dyspnGa tthe inability to get q full
breath OF air, seem 10 welcome almost any
change Of climate, even by journeys as short as
from the river suburbs OF Washington ID. c.
to the upland4 Of Bladensburg. or vice versa
Warm coast climates may also prove beneficial
to persons Of advanced age, especially If the
/ weakness Of declining years should be agra
waited by a heart complaint "COld paralyZes
| the heart" says a modern Psychologist, land
/ 10 It's depressing influence is due the fact that
so large proportion Of aged persons die ia the
cold season Of the year. Having lost in some
degree their power 10 produce animal heat,
/ they quickly succumb TO the exposures incl
| dent 10 the inCicment season Of the year.
| There are current many erroneous notions re-
! specting the means Of protection from the in
| jnriuus influence nf cold. The idea that stim-
/ ulants will enable person to withstand cold
has been exploded by TIC uniform testimony
| Of Arctic explorers.
Physiologists have found by actual expert.
ment, testing he temperature Of person both
before and after the inhibition OF spirits, that
/ the temperature is uniformly lowered by alco-
! hol In all It's forms. Arctic nayigltOrs say that
for man 10 take alcohol in latitules where
the temperature is often 70S below zero is
almost certain death. Alcohol momentarily
makes a man feel warmer but really abstracts
heat from him. 30 with tobacco II depresscs
the action Of the heart and consequently di.
minishcs the amount ofheat produced. Many
persons also make the great mistake at the be-
ginning OF cold weather Of shutting themselves
up indoors with hot stoves or furnaces confin-
ing themselves 20 avoid taking cold. This Is
the most certain way 10 prepare ones self 20
acquire "a cold upon the slightest pT0y0catiou.
Daily exercise in the open air aud a daily bath.
with friction Of the skin aud inunctious. with
plenty OF good food aud abundance Of sleep.
are also important means Of fortifying the sys-
TEN against the ravage5 nf cold"
The trouble IS that only a small minority Of
patients will be able % resist tire temptation Of
lighting tho bugbear Of cold in tho conven-
tionai manner lH q frosty latitude they will
rc-light a long -hCived old pipe and open a cup
board supposed 10 have been permaueutly
closed. The temptation Of read y. made fire
place with handy supply OF fuel is still moro
Irresistible, and rs a rule we NAV assume that
north gi the Both degree Of latitude the chance
iuT an omen. air cure terminates about the mid
die Of November. Five degrees farther south
/ IL may become almost. or altogether perennial
. There Is large hotel on the south beach of
I seaside resort already mentioned tTampa, FlaI
/ Five hundred rooms, each with an open hTcpIlce
/ aud bathroom Of It's own. An ample snpplv
/ OF fuel Tor room warming is always kept on
/ hand. but Is very rarely used. Even IN January
tho promenade of the open beach gets 30 warm
in the afternoon that a return 20 the shade Of
/ \ comparatively cool room seems a pleasant re-
/ lief. The bathrooms. too, are now aud then
! apt 10 become popular during he season of
/ shortest day aud the temptation OF sham. calo-
/ RI tc stimnlInta is avoided altogether. Health
resorts OF that sort should therefore be recon-
mended 10 aged inyalids not likely 20 suFren-
/ der their hygienic prtjudices t. anything less
/ than total change Of climatic conditions
/ Highland resorts, on the other hand, arc
| preferable for the cure Of dyspepsia aud OrIi-
/ nary lung troubles 10 should always be borne,
| ia mind, however, that the ,iiiclcy OF the plan
| depends upon the influence of cold air and
! cannot he hoped 10 extend to iuvalils who in
/ sist on surrounding themselves with au aFti-
fetal climate OF stove heat aud tobacco smoke.
t The mere fact Of a slnitarium being located AZ
/ a certain elevation above tide-water will not
/ redeem the nOXi0us influence Of ill-yeutiIated
| bedrooms, OF nicotine fumes and late suppers
\ The conventional regime OF the visitors Of GER
/ tain popular highland resorts j.. indeed. a per
/ feet satire on the principles Of rational hvsiene
/ They stay ia bed I'LL or . o'clock. missing
/ tho gories Of tie cool morning with ts wood
| land perfumes and bird concerts. Thechanccs
/ Of bruclting by forenoon Tanble is handi-
| capped by a heavy breakfast, followed by a
couple OF equally heavy cigars. Three 10 five
courses Tor curse5) OF iEdgestiblo dinner vi.
ands; another cigar, coffee. perhaps with or
| without an alcoholic cordial; two hours s.esta
in the aTm-chairs Of a smOke-clauded reading
| room, au afternoon nap 10 while away tho
sultry hours; then dress parade on the YER
| anda, supper Of cold ham, fried eggs. steaming-
| hot narcotic beverages Theoretically closed
! bedrooms aud the hope that a multitude OF sins
| against the health laws Of nature will be conf
| pensated by the circumstance that the scene Of
thc transgression is situated at an elevation of
| 5000 feet above sea level.
Still that hope i les delusiye than the trust
! in bowel couvulsing sulphur springs. In spite
Of closed bedrooms tho cool night air of the
highlands helps 10 counteract the sanitary sins
OF each day. aud n few hours exercise on the
airy mountainous may compensate a week Of
vcrands lounging.
The sanitary value nf mountain resorts is
now aud then modified by the mistake of To-
eating the hotel peThaps for the sake OF hoasting
the vicinity Of mineral spring. in "a glen sur
rounded by air oistTuctiug ridges. Tie after
noon heat in such highland valleys often rivals