The Portland daily press., 1897-11-25
ALTITUDE AND MAN.
of the Restorative Effect of
Mountain Air.

iLetter in the London Standard.
An interesting summary is given IN
Nature of French book by DIR, Paul
Regnard on the Effect of Altitude on
Man." Many of us have ascertained by
experience that, when we feel fused up
after long period of hard work. we re-
cover tone most quickly by seeking some
quiet mountain resort. at few thousand
feet above sea level. In the Alps, the
most suitable spots, as every one knows,
are found from about 4, 600 to 1000 feet.
Below the one the midday heat is apt to
be too great, about the other the tenn
perature is often too low for comfort. In
such place the air from the first has an
exhilarating effect, and, after inhaling 1t
for few days, vigor returns, and life be-
comes an enjoyment. DR.. Regnard tells
us why this occurs. The first experiment.
and this was only made in very gen
eral way-was about the middle of the
present century. A Swiss Protestant
clergyman, Kraenbuhl by name, had been
struck by the marked difference between
the children from the mountains and
those of certain schools in Berne and
Zurich. The former were sturdy and
ruddy, the latter weakly and anaemlc.
He arranged for some of these organizing
'children's country holiday on pro-
tracte1 scale-to live at Beatenberg.
This, now becoming we'll known as a
health resort, is mountain village, On
the north side OF the lake of Thun, nearly
1000 feet above sea level The effect was
marked-in few months the children
bad greatly improved in health. DR..
Guggen nbuhPs hospital for Cretins on the
A bendberg, near Interlaken, produced
similar results. 1t was discovered some
years ago, by Paul Bert, that the blood
of animals living at high attitudes ab-
sorbed more oxygen then did that OF
similar ANIMALS at lower level.
1t was next found that this blood was
richer In the coloring mater (haemoglob-
in). The third step was to discover that
not only was the latter increased, but also
the number of red corpuscles in the blood
was still more augmented. This was fur
ther cerreborated by the observation that
when animals descended from higher to
live at a lower altitude, the number of
red corpuscles in their blood decreased.
Direct experiments also showed that these
corpuscles notably diminished in num-
ber in an atmosphere which was abnor
mally rich in oxygen. Now the blood
fers it to the tissues of the body. This
is done by the red corpusales through the
agency OF the haemoglobin. Hence, the
more corpusoles, the more thoroughly the
| carryin work is done.
| So the mountain air has the following
effect. Suppose weakly or even con
sumptive, patient goes up into the noun
tains. His badly nourished condition
renders his tissues an easy prey to the
microbes which have contrlved to effect
/ lodgment under the insanitary conditions
of his previous life. But when he
breathes an air less richly supplied with
oxygen, his blood is not able to absorb
enough for it's requirements; ''reac-
tion" is set up; new corpuscles are
formed, which gradually acquire the
normal amount of haemoglobin, and thus
host of recruits is added to the pigmy
carriers, the work of transference of oxy
gen is much more effectively performed,
and the result is the better nutrition of
the body. 1t resists the assaults of the
destructive microbes; they no longer in
crease and multiply, but dwindle-per-
haps are slaughtered (for such things do
occur) by the army of defense. When the
patient deseends to n lower altitude the
red corpuscles decrease in number, but
the good effects remain, and the quality
of the blood Is now much more satisfac-
tory than it was before the visit to the
health resort.
Mountain sickness, also, is connected
with the quantity of oxygen. This is due
to asphyxia of the tissues, which are un-
able to obtain sufficient supply, Cat a
time, owing to muscular exertion, 1t is
most needed) in consequence of the dimi-
mutton in amount of that element at con-
siderable attitudes. This malady, no
doubt, often comes from want of proper
training, but even the most experienced
climbers have felt 1T at great elevations
At the top of Mont Blanc almost half the
atmosphere by weight lies pelow our feet,
which, of course, implies greatly di-
minished supply of oxygen. Mr.. Whymper
and his guides suffered severely when en-
camped at about l6, 800 feet in the Andes.
and Sir Martin Conway found in the
Karakoram Hi,nalayas the effect was al
ways perceptible at this height, while at
about 10000 feet the lassitude and diff
Guilty of breathing became painful. Thus,
of oxygen, like of many other good
things, one may have too much, as was
already well known, but one may also
have too little. am, Sir, your obedient
servant