The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1905-10-26
Healthlest Region In the United
States,

|
States.
In looking about fer a site for the
| projected Michigan state sanitarium
| for consumptlves the discovery has
| been made that the northern part of
| the lower peninsula Of Michigan is the
healthlest part of the United States.
| This Is not guesc work by interested
| parties, but the verdict of the United
| States census II will astonish many
who have heard the claims made for
the Maine woods, the Adirondaoks.
the mountain regions of North Caro-
| lima ard Georgia, for Colorado, Cali
fornia, Arizona, New Mexico. to hear
th"t the tables of the census bureau
demonstrate that the palm belongs to
Michigan. Freedom from consumption
being the first consideration, the
board having the inquiry in charge
found that of the nine registration
states (where registration of deaths
with the cause Is obligatory, Michi-
gan stands lowest on the list with a
death rate for consumption of 1917.
New Hampshire, the next lowest on
the list. stands 1923; Massachusetts,,
1862, and New York, 194.1. Rural
Michigan stands GAL, An examina-
ton of the chart for Michigan shows
no less than thirty-nine counties with
q lower rate than 95 (Which are shown
In white). There are only five such
counties in New York state. Com
pared with other parts of the country
the low rate for northern Michigan is
most remarkable. The consumption
death rate for cities in the New Eng
land states is 244 for cities in the
middle states 259, lake states 1876,
southern states 277, San Francisco
3O4. Thus 1t is seen that even the
cities of the lake region compare most
favorably with cities of the rest of the
country in the matter of exemption
from pulmonary tuberculosis Having
found that the lake region appears to
be most favorable, the board stuck
pin in the center of this region on
the map, in the upper part of the
lower peninsula of Michigan Here
are the great lakes to the north, the
east and the west. Here are pine and
hemlock forests, filling the air with
balsam. Here Is a porous soil of |
gravel and glacial drift, with good |
water uncontaminated by cities. And |
here Is abundance of sunshine. with
absence Of fog. So the board reasoned. |
Examining the vital statistics of the
state 1t was found that the four coun-
ties OF Otsego, Crawford, Roscommon
and Gladwin show an average death
rate for all forms of tuberculosis for
the past five years of only $50. Ham,
ilton county, New York, the Adron-
dack county making the best showing,
has consumption death rate, accord
Ing to the census, twice as large as
the first three Michigan counties
named above, while the cancer, pneu-
monia and diphtheria charts left COM
parlson entirely out of the question
and show a clear white record for
northern Michigan. 1t will be little
wonder, therefore, II the state sani-
Larium Is located in one of the coun.
lies above named, distant from any
arge city, and where the pine scented
llr Will continually blow through the
open cottages of the consumptives'
camp, for the sanitarium will be of
he camp character, rather than
arge building, and will be as open
o the sun and air as possible. Here
he campers will be encouraged to
axe moderate exercise. to eat nour.
shing food, rich in vegetable fats, and
o get tanned and toughened in the
pen air. By this means T. Is hoped
hat the consumption death list of
lichigan. $500 per year, will be ma
erially reduced, and that large pro-
ortion OF the cabpers will be return
d to their homes strengthened and
ured.