The Tucson citizen., 1902-04-30


custom to sleep out of doors from the
middle ,f May until September. anc
many Gas the writcr) sleep out during
the whole yer. There are not five days
in the whole year but the most delicate
invalid can spend part of the day, at
least, out of doors. In this climate in
lurics 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 day succeeds anotl er;
the nights are cool and exhilarating; he
whole country green with the richest
verdue and the brightest flowers. Truly
it is JOY to live.
"At present have never known per
son coming to this Territory in the early
stages ot 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."
DIR. II. w. Fenner, Of Tucson, Surgeon
of the Southern Pacific X. r., says
Tucson is city of 10, 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
26' and 56' respectively. The rainfall
is small and but little irrigation is car.
ried on. The water supply il excellent.
The summers are long, the thermometer
ranges high, but the low degree ofhumid
ity makes the clear warmth tolerable,
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-
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 Ill the
treatment OF pulmonary tuberculosis. In
order that the patient may live eontin-
uously in the open air for period of sew
eral months, or, for that matter, for a
year. or several years, a climate is re-
quircd which is continuously warm and
dry. Such a climate the United States
does not possess, but the nearest ap.
f,rnarb n IL "a Arizona
physicians rareiv send their pa+ snts
to the arid -eg.ons curing :-sn-zer nd
this consider II great =~sstake. h,
patients should be sent 10 the arid re
gions SO soon as there is evidence OF in
fiction from the tubcrcle bacillus, and
should be made to remain there until
they are well, or until il isapparent 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 u.
the Atlantic coast, and many of the best
physicians in California regularly send
their tubcrcular and asthmatie patients
to Tucson. California is beautiful.
country. but the fogs which come IN
rom the sea, and the enanations from
the vast irrigated regions, make it far
inferior To tho inland desert regions for
phthisical patients. think it may be
assumed az 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 rs health resort
which can not be eQualled anywhere in
North America. know oi no locality
where such 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 tubcrcular patients
To an altitude of 5000 feet. or over. In
] fact, clinical experience has proven that
more frequently patients required to bs
sent to an altitude or less. rather thar
more than 1900 feet. The altitude o
/ Tucson is 2, 400 feet. and that seems tc
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 II
| bv massive mountain ranges. To ths
north is the Santa Catalina range; te
/ the east, the Rincon; to the south, tht
Santa Rita; and on the west, the Tue
son. Each of these ranges has an aiti
tudc of s 900 feet at least. Mount lie
mon, the highest peak of the Catalinas
has an elevation of 10000 feet, ant
Mount Wrightson in the Santa Ritas
reaches an altitude of nearly l1,00'
feet.
"Thc scenery at Tucson is as impres
sive as anywhere in the Rocky noun
tains, and the gorgeous sunrise and sun
set beggar description.
Daring the nine months, October t.
Iune, inclusive, 1S94-5, there were bu
twenty five cloudy days, and nine G
these were in one month. Some idea G
the transparency OF the atmosphere ma.
be had when state that, at midd a,
and with the unaided eye, have see
Venus when it was but ten degrees east
Of the SUM-"
n. A9ataa pbvcfrian nt