Arizona daily citizen., 1901-03-19

order that the patient may live contin
uously i'll the open air for a period ofsev
eral months, or, for that matter, for c
I year, or several years, climate is re
quired which is continuously warm anC
| dry. Such a climate the United States
does not possess, but the nearest ap
proach to it is Arizona.
| Physicians rare'v send their pa 'nts
to the arid -eg;ons ;skri1g :-m=.er 1o
! this consider great ristake. = he
patients should be sent to the arid re
| glons so soon as there is evidence of in
fiction from the tubercle bacillus, and
! should be made to remain there until
they are well, or until it is apparent that
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
in some instances greater, than that oi
the Atlantic coast, and many of the best
physicians in California regularly send
their tubercular and asthmatic patients
to Tucson. California is a beautiful
country, but the fogs which come in
the vast irrigated regions, make it far
inferior to the inland desert regions for
| phthisical patients. think it may be
assumed as a general rule 4hat wher-
ever there is irrigation there is high
degree of relative humidity. and patients
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 opin-
ion, advantages as a health resort
| which can not be equalled anywhere in
North America. know of no locality
where such a moderate winter climate
and such a low degree of relative humid
ity are combined with the same latitude
and altitude. 1t is no longer considered
imperative to send tubercuiay patients
to an altitude of 5000 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 5000 feet. The altitude of
Tucson is 2,4OO 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 in
by massive mountain ranges. To the
north is the Santa Catalina range; to
the east, the Rincon; to the south, the
Santa Rita; and on the west, the Tue
son. Each of these ranges has an slti-
tude of 1000 feet at least. Mount Le-
mon, the highest peak of the Catalinas,
has an elevation of 10000 feet, and
Mount Wrightson in the Santa Ritas,
reaches an altitude of nearly IL 900
feet
THE scenery at Tucson is as impress
sive as anywhere in the Rocky noun
tains. and the gorgeous sunrise and sun
set beggar description.
During the nine months, October to
June, inclusive, 1s94-5, there were but
twenty-five cloudy days, and nire Of
these were in one month. Some idea OF
the transparency of the atmosphere may
be had when state that, at midday,
and with the unaided eye, ! have seen
Venus when it was but ten degrees east
of the sum-
DR.. n, H. Matas, a Physician of IL
years practice in this City, says
Since consumptiyes must depend on the
| resisting forces of nature for the cure OF
| their disease, it is evident that an early
selection of good winter climate is the
| most important factor for their cure and
future welfare.
They need warm, dry climate II
winter, free from fogs, heavy frosts,
storms, chilling winds and sudden at.
mospheric changes, climate where
there is constant sunshine and plenty
of pure air, and where they can havs
outdoor exercise daily. Treatment a.
| well as climate must be undertaken
early to do good when there Is yet q
good foundation upon which to builc
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 il
! DESTROYED.
"The official weather reports and sur.
veyors of the United States, as well as
the scientific climatoiogists. admit that
Tucson is the center of the most favor
able CONC in the southwest for the i'm.
provemcnt and maintenance of life oi
cousuuptives Ia the United States, il
not in the world"
DIR. ". B. Purcell, County Physician,
Obserycs:-''It is an undisputed fact that
proper climatic conditions give the
greatest relief to those affected with or
having a tendency to phthisas.
when a phthisicai tendency exists
great care should be exercised to prevent
its development. As humidity is such an
important factor in the cause of COM
sumption. those affected with or having
predisposition to lung disease should
Immediately seek the proper climate fav.
orable to their condition.
"The climate of Colorado has been re-
commended for its beneficial effects for
consumption; 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
| undoubtedly have beneficial effect or
tuberculosis subjects, but cannot re
commend Colorado during the fall and
| winter, as the changes are often severe
| becoming raw and cold within few
| hours, and as these are atmospheric con
ditions to be avoided, it would not b,
advisable to spend these seasons there
Those having peculiar type of consti
! tuition with a hereditary tendency tt
consumption would do well to avail
| themselves of an opportunity and cornt
here and remain exempt from disease.
sit is q fact that those born here o
! tuberculosis parents seldom ever bav'
the disease develop, so long as they re
main in this climate. 1t is my opinio,
that there is no other section of tn
] United States which win compare favor
3 4 L.