The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-13

'hCoriateh at the time, II is the common
custom to sleep out of doors from the
middle >f May until September, and
! many (as the writer sleep out during
the whole yer. There are not FIVE days
III the whole year but the most delicate
Invalid can spend part of the day, at
least, out OF doors. In this climate in
'uries and wounds heal very rapidly;
contagious diseases are usually very
mild. There has been no epidemic, ex-
cept in whooping cough, for years.
he winter months, from the middle
OF September to the first of MAY, arc in
TINS locality the finest in the world. One
bright Sunshiny day succeeds another;
the nights are cool and exhilaratiug: the
whole country green with the richest
verdue and the brightest flowers. Truly
it is JOY to live.
AT present have never known a per-
son coming to this Territory in the early
stages OF pulmonary disease andlocating
IN the altitude suited TO their particular
case that did not get well; nor have !
known OF one in the second stage that
did not improve. But cannot refrain
from raising my voice against the out
rage of sending advanced cases to this
or other sections TO die among strang
ers."
Or. Fl. ". Fenner, of Tucson, Surgeon
of the Southern Pacific K. r., says
Tucson is city of 10, 900 inhabitants,
ON the main line of the Southern Pacific
Railway, altitude . 400 feet above the
sea level. Tucson is one of the oldest
settlements made by the Spanish con-
querors. 1t is now the commercial and
railroad center of Southern Arizona. The
climate is exceedingly dry and braciug,
the humidity being exceedingly low; the
yearly minimum and maximum being
26' and So espe,tively. The rainfall
is small and but little irrigation is car
ried on. The water supply is excellent.
The summers are long, the thermometer
ranges high, but the low degree humid
ity makes the clear warmth toierable.
and the most healthful part OF the year.
Sunstrokes and heat prostrations are
unknown. The climate OF Tucson has
been found by experience to be particul
arly beneficial to most cases of pulmon-
AIRY phthisis. especially those OF the
earlier or pre-tubercular periods.
Dr. Mark A. Rogers, of Tucson, says:
My experience has impressed upon
treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. In
order that the patient may live contin-
uously in the open air for a period OF sew
eral months, or, for that matter, for a
year, or several years. climate is re
quired which is continuously warm and
dry. Such climate the United States
does not possess, but the nearest ap-
proach to it is Arizona.
"Phvsicians rare'v send their pa; >nts
to the arid -eg.ons ;urirg s-m-er I'D
this | consider a great -;stake. ! hs
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 remaiu there until
they are well, or until il 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 a dry climate The relative humidity
in southern California is as great, and
in some instances greater, than that %
the Atlantic coast, and many of the best
physicians in California regularly send
! their tubercular and asthmatic patients
to Tucson. California is beautiful.
country, but the fogs which come in
rom the sea, and the emanations from
| the vast irrigated regions, make II far
/ inferior TO the inland desert regions tor
/ phthisicaI patients. | think 1t may be
assumed as general rule that wher-
ever there is irrigation there IS a 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 ut Tucson has, in my opin-
ion. advantages as 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
itv are combined with the same latitude
and altitude. Ii is no longer considered
imperative to send tubercular patients
to an altitude of 5000 feet. or over. In
fact, clinical experience has proven that
more frequently patients required to be
sent to an altitude or less, rather than
more than 1900 feet. The altitude OF
Tucson is 2, 400 feet. and that seems to
be amply high for ali but the most ex-
centional cases The city is situated III
n basin near the underground Santa
4 Cruz river. 1t is completely walled in
bv massive mountain ranges. 10 the
north is the Santa Catalina range; to
the east, the Rincon: 10 the south. the
Santa Rita and on the west, the Tue
son. Each of these ranges has an alti'
tude OF 5000 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 11,O0G
feet.
The scenery at Tucson is as irnpres
s;ve as anywhere in the Rocky noun
: tains. and the gorgeous sunrise and sun
; set beggar description.
During the nine months October tt
Tuue inclusive. lS9+-5, there were but
TWENTY-FIVE cloudy days, and nine o
. these we're in one month. Some idea o
the transparency of the atmosphere may
he had when state that, at n,idd ay
and with the unaided eye, have seer
Venus when it was but ten degrees east
+, ofthe SIM"
~ |