The Tucson citizen., 1902-03-08

, - hoS Until N'tPhNib'"sis 'h'
many (as the writer) sleep out during
the whole year. There are not fl We 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
contagious diseases are usually very
mild. There has been no epidemic, ex
cept i'll 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 day succeeds another;
the nights are cool and exhilarating; the
whole country green with the richest
verduc and the brightest flowers. Truly
1t is JOY to live.
"At present have never known a per-
son coming to this Territory in the early
stages OF pulmonary disease and locating
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
crs."
DIR. II. w. Fenner. of Tucson, Surgeon
of the Southern Pacific r. r., says
Tucson is a city OF 10, 900 inha abitants,
on the main line of the Southern Pacific
Railway, altitude 2,400 feet above the
sea level. Tucson is one of the oldest
settlements made by the Spanish con
qucrors. 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
261 and 569 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 ofhumid-
ity makes the clear warmth tolerable,
and the most hcalthful 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 eases of pulmon-
ary 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-
uously i'll the open air for period of sew |
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, bnt the nearest ap- /
proach to it is Arizona.
Physicians rare'v send their patents
to the arid -eg;ons tnriag s,6u=1cr nd |
this | consider a great ~.stakc. IN, |
patients should be sent to the arid re.
gions 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 a 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 III California regularly send |
their tubercular and asthmatic patients |
TO Tucson. California is beautifu. |
country, but the fogs which come in |
rom the sea, and the emanations 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 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 health resort
which can not be equalled anywhere in
North America. | know of no locality
where such n moderate winter climate
and such low degree of relative humid
ity are combined with the same latitude
and altitude. 1t is no longer considered
imperative to send tubercular patients
to an altitude OF 6, 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 5000 feet. The altitude ot
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
a basin near the underground Santa
Cruz river. 1t .js 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 8, 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 11,000
feet.
"Thc scenery at Tucson is as impress
sive as anywhere in the Rocky noun
tans, and the gorgeous sunrise nnd sun.
set bcggar description.
During the nine months, October to
Iunc 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 cast
of the SUM-"
Or. \. II. Matas, Physician of II
,,ract,,a fhir CIV