Arizona daily citizen., 1901-02-19

/ order that the patient may live contin
/ uousiy III the open air for a period Of sew
eral months, or, for that matter, for &
year, or several years, a climate is re
quIred which is continuously warm anC
dry. Such climate the United States
does not possess, but the nearest ap
proach to it is Arizona.
Physicians rarei" send their pa 'nts
to the arid -egic1 t.,rirg s-f11=1t. &c
this | consider a sreat Eistake. -ht
patients should be sent to the arid re
gions so soon as there is evidence of in,
lection from the tubercle bacillus, and
should be made to remain there until
they are well, or until it is apparent tina t
the case is hopeless.
Many physicians in the east order
patients to California for the winter
apparently with view of sending them
to dry climate. The relative humidity
IN southern California is as great, and
III some instances greater, than that ot
the Atlantic coast, and many of the best
physicians in California regularly send
their tubsrcular and asthmatic patients
to Tucson. California is beautiful
country, but the fogs which come i'll
from the sea, and the emanations from
the vast irrigated regions, make il far
inferior TO the inland desert regions for
phthisical patients. think it may he
assumed as a general rule that wher-
ever there is irrigation there is high
degree of relative humidity. and patient S
suffering from pulmonary phthisis
should never be sent to an irrigated dis
trict. Indeed, some of the California
physicians have declared that irrigation
and malaria go together
The city of Tucson has. in my opiu-
ion, advantages as a health resort
which can not be equalled anywhere in
North America. ! know of no locality
where such moderate winter climate
and such a low degree of relative humid
ity are combined with the same latitude
and altitude. Ii is no longer considered
imperative to send tubercular patients
10 an altitude of 6. 900 feet, or over. In
fact, clinical experience has proven that
more frequently patients required to b.
sent to an altitude or less, rather than
more than 1900 feet. The altitude of
Tucson is ., 400 feet. and that seems to
be amply high for all but the most ex-
ceptional cases. The city is situated in
a basin near the underground Santa
Cruz river. 1t is completely walled i'll
bv massive mountain ranges To the
north is the Santa Catalina range; to
the east, the Rineon; to the south. the
Santa Rita; and ON the west, the Tue
son. Each of these ranges has an slti-
tude OF 5000 feet at least. Mount Le-
mon, the highest peak of the Catalinas,
has an elevation of 10000 feet, and
Mount Wriehtson in the Santa Ritas.
reaches an altitude of nearly IL ZOO
feet.
THE scenery ut Tucson is as impres-
sive as anywhere in the Rocky noun
tains. and the gorgeous sunrise snd sun
set beggar description.
During the nine months, October to
June, inclusive. 1S94-5, there were but
twenty-five cloudy days, and nine of
these were in one month. Some idea OF
the transparency of the atmosphere NAV
be had when / state that, at midday.
and with the uuaided eye, | have seen
Venus when II was bat ten degrees east
of the sun"
DIR. n, II. Matas, a Physician of II
years practice in this City, saws
Since consumptives must depend on the
resisting forces OF nature for the cure of
their disease. it is evident that an early
selection oil a good winter climate is the
most important factor for their cure and
future welfare.
"They need warm, dry climate in
winter, free from fogs, heavy frosts,
storms, chilling winds and sudden at
nosphefic changes, climate where
there is a constant sunshine aud plenty
of pure air. and where they can have
outdoor exercise daily. Treatment as
well as climate must be undertaken
early to do good when there is vet a
good foundation upon which TO build
the system. We must remember that
nature alone cures. and where there is
no nature there Is no hope. Physicians
and climate can only help nature. and
they can do no good when nature is
destroyed.
The official weather reports and sur
veyors of the United States, as well as
the scientific clirnatoiogists, admit that
Tucson is the center of the most favor
able zone ia the southwest for the inn
proyen,ent and maintenance OF lite ot
IN the United States, if
not in the world.
DIR. w, d, Purcell. County Physician,
0bserves:-''lt is an umiisputcd fact that
proper climatic conditions give the
greatest relief to those affected with or
having tendency to phthisis.
when phthisical tendency exists
great care should be exercised TO prevent
is development. As humidity is such an
important factor in tho cause of COM
those affected with or having
! predisposition to lung disease should
seek the proper climate fav.
orable to their condition.
"The climate of Colorado has been re-
for its beneficial effects for
my long residence there
gave me ample and sufficient opport-
unity of Judging climatic conditions
there existing during the summer months
The mountainous portions of Colorado
have beneficial effect on
subjects. but cannot re-
Colorado during the fall aud
winter, as the changes are often severe,
becoming raw and cold within few
hours, and az these are atmospheric con-
ditions to be avoided, it would not be
advisable to spend these seasons there.
Those having peculiar type of consti-
tuition with a hereditary tendency to
would do well to avail
themselves of an opportunity aud come
here and remain exempt from disease.
sit is a fact that those born here of
parents seldom ever have
the disease develop, so long as they re-
main in this climate. 1t is my opinion
that there is no other section of the
United States which viii compare favor
able with that in and about Tucson for
the relief of pulmonary affections"
DR.. J. V. Gaff, ex-Surgeon of the S p.
Railroad, says:-"Men like Sampson,
Davis and Me' huselah owed much of