The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-07

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the whole year. There are not five days
IN the whole year but the most delicate
lnValld can spend part of the day, at
least, out of doors. In this climate in
lures and wounds heal very rapidly;
contagious diseases are usually very
mid. There has been no epidemic, ex-
cept III whooping cough, for years.
he winter months, from the middle
OF September to the first of May, are in
TINS locality the finest in the world. One
bright sunshiny day succeeds another;
the nights are cool and exhilarating; the
whole country green with the richest
verdue and the brightest flowers. Truly
1t is a joy to live.
AT present have never known q per.
son coming to this Territory in the early
stages of pulmonary disease andlocating
III the altitude suited to their particular
ease 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,p
DIR. II. W. Fenner of Tucson, Surgeon
OF the Southern Pacific r. r.. says
Tucson is city of 1O, 900 inhabitants,
on the main line of the Southern Pacific
Railway, altitude 2,4O0 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
@6o and So respectively. 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 othumid
ity makes the clear warmth tolerable,
and the most healthtul part of the year.
Sunstrokes and heat prostrations are
unknown. The climate of Tucson has
been found bv 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
me the necessity for outdoor life in the
treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. In
order that the patient may live contin-
eral months or, for that matter, for a
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 rarely send their paints
TO the arid -eg:ons curing s-snaer I'D
this | consider a great =.stake. -ht
patients should be sent to the arid re.
gious 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 a dry climate. The relative humidity
in southern California is as great. and
in some instances greater, than that y.
the Atlantic coast. and many OF the best
physicians in California regularly send
their tubercular and asthmatie patients
to Tucson. California is a beautifui
country. but the fogs which come IN
rom the sea, and the emanatiops from
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 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 ot 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 moderate winter climate
and such low degree of relative humid
itv are combined with the same latitude
and altitude. II is no longer considered
imperative to send tubercuiaT pa tIents
to an altitude of 5000 feet, or over. In
fact. clinical experience has proven that
more frequently patients required to be
sent to On altitude or less, rather than
more than 8, 900 feet. The altitude oi
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. Ii is completely walled IN
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 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 1l,oo0
| 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
| Iuue. 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 sun."
DR.. n, II. Matas, Physician OF IL
wears practice in this City, says
''Sincc consumptives must depend ON the
resisting forces of nature for the cure OF
their disease. it is evident that an early