The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-27

fected would have to undergo treatmen,
for long time, perhaps fer years.
II have in mind the case of g patient OF
mine who lives In the country near St
Louis. She was in an extremely bad con-
| dition when I was first called in. / ad-
| vocated the 'open-air cure and explained
1t to her, with the result that she has
hardly lived in house at all for the last
TWO years.
Her health Is SO greatly improved that
I have hopes that a complete cure may
finally be effected, and have no reason
to doubt that it will be- At any rate,
her life has been preserved to her family
and friends long beyond the period she
would have lived had she continued under
the old conditions.
There should be sanitarium near ST.
Louis. where the physicians of the city
and State could send their cases for treat
ment under the open-air plan. This could
readily be started, at small expense, by
the purchase Of farmhouse in some of
the more elevated parts of the State. Even
small house of four rooms would be
better than none at all; and there could
be sent those who were able to pay some
nominal sum that would just make the
institution self-supporting
Start such movement, and in a few
wears the relatives and friends OF those
who had been treated there would come
forward with funds enough to double and
triple the accommodations many times
over. 1t would receive many requests. no
doubt. from those who were in a position
to aid such worthy work, and after the
FIRST year the results of the treatment
would make it an indispensable institu-
ton.
There is a sanitarium in the southern
part Of the city that has obtained good
results by method of treatment that is
not absolutely an out-of-door affair, but
as the patients are required to spend as
much time as possible in tlfe open air,
much of the credit belongs to that part
Of the treatment.
HIGHEST ALTITUDE
NOT NEEDED.
ut used to be thought that a person af-
flicted with tuberculosis must be sent to
a high altitude for treatment. and have
seen some whose lives had been spent
in the lowlands suddenly ordered to pack
and take themselves to Colorado. where
the elevation was several thousand feet
higher than where they had been living.
They soon recovered in many cases, but
when they returned to their former homes
the good work of the high altitude was
soon undone. and have seen some whom
stay in the mountains restored to APP
parent health fade away and die within a
month or two of their return.
They looked healthy and in good condi-
ton. but the change in tension of the
blood brought OH degradation of the YES
sells in the lungs. and the decay of the
lung tissue was almost immediate.
THE reason for this seems to be that
the extremely high altitude allows the
blood to flow with less heart action, and
that the patients rapid cure depends in
large measure on this phenomenon. The
body becomes accustomed to the hIgh-alti-
tude conditions. and when the patient re-
turns to lower country the body, espe-
cially the blood. cannot readily accommo-
date itself to the change.
'tAny one who is sent to a high altitude
should make preparation to spend the rest
Of his life there. and the breaking Of all
home ties is often necessary. That is an
other great reason why sanitarium
should be established within easy distance
Of the home of the patient. Not only are
the conditions Of life essentially the same,
but there IS also none Of that feeling Of
being, .exiled that the one sent to Colorado
would have.
There are many locations IN the state
OF Missouri where sanitarium could be
established at small cost. beginning in a
small way. In the 'open-air' method OF
treating the disease, the equipment of
buildings is not expensive and need not be
moro than $1,000 or 5000 at the start.