The Tucson citizen., 1902-08-22

in the whole year but the most delicate
invalid can spend part OF the day, at
least, out Of doors. In this climate IN
turies and wounds heal very rapidly,
contagious diseases are usually very
mild. There has been no epidemic, ex
cept in whooping cough, for years.
'The winter months, from the middle
of September to the first of May, are IN
this locality the finest in the world. One
/ bright sunshiny Gay succeeds another;
the nights are cool and exhilarating; the
whole country green with the richest
verdue and the brightest flowers. Truly
it is q jov to live.
AT present | have never known 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 l cannot refrain
/ from raising my voice against the out
rage of sending advanced cases to this
or other sections to die among strang
ers."
DR.. II. W. Fenner, of Tucson, Surgeon
of the Southern Pacific K. R., says
! Tucson is a city of 10, 900 inhabitants,
on the main line of the Southern Pacific
Railway, altitude 2,40O 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 bracing,
the humidity being exceedingly low; the
| yearly minimum and maximum being
26o and $50 respectively. The rainfall
is small and but little irrigation is car
ried on. The water supply is excellent.
| The summers are long, the THERMOMETERS
ranges high, but the low degree othu1nid
| lty makes the clear warmth tOlerable,
and the most healthfuj 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 pulnon-
ary phthisis, especially those of the
earlier Or pre-tubercular periods. II
DR.. Mark A. Rogers, of Tucson, says:
My experience has impressed upon
me the necessity for outdoor life in the
treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. In
order that the patient may live contin-
uously in the open air for period ofsev- |
eral months, or, for that matter, for
year, or several years, a climate is re-
quired which is continuously warm and
dry. Such a climate the United States
does not possess. but the nearest ap-
proach to it is Arizona.
"Physicians rara'v send their patients |
to the arid -egioas .:aEri1g :@en~@er I'D
this | consider a great -istake. Ihs |
patients should be sent to the arid re
gions so soon as there is evidence of Ill
| fiction from the tubercle bacillus, an0 |
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 a view of sending them
to dry climate. The relative humidity
in southern California is as great, and
/ in some instances greater, than that o.
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
rom the sea, and the ernanations from
the vast irrigated regions, make it far
inferior to the inland desert regions for |
phthisical patients. think it may be
assumed as general rule that 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
ois 4at
and such a low degree of relative humid
ity are combined with the same latitude
and altitude. 1t rs no longer considered
imperative to send tubercuiar patients
to an altitude of 5, 900 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 1000 feet. The altitude OF
Tucson is 2, 400 feet. and that seems to
be amply high for all but the most ex-
ceptional cases. The city is situated in
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 alti-
tude of S, 900 feet at least. Mount LIE.
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 II ,OOO
feet.
"The scenery at Tucson is as impress
sive as anywhere in the Rocky noun
tains, and the gorgeous sunrise and sum
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 may
be had when | state that, at midd ay
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 II
years practice in this City, saws
'Since consumptives must depend on the
resisting forces of nature tor 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