The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-02-11

expect good In tie tuberculous
changes that are constant and marked
In every ease. one OF the most re-
markable n the blood changes.
lRegnard at sea level placed a rab-
bit under q bed glass and reduced the
atmospheric pressure until II was
equivalent 10 an altitude Of $500 feet.
The rabbit remained fat and healthy
and when he came out examination OF
the blood showedthat Il absorbed ~
G. q. OF oxygen ~ compared 10 ~ C.. c.
that the blood OF It's fellows could abb
sorb az sea level.
DIR. Egges. experimenting In ATosa.
Switzerland, altitude $500 feet. on %
cases found an average Increase of red
blood corpuscles Of 10 per cent. after
a few weeks. The Increase was great.
or IN nnn-tuberculosus persons than In
tuberculosus. Experiments on rabbits
showed an increase Of II per cent.
and he demonstrated by tapring the
carotid and femoral arteries that u
was not confined to the caplllaries and
superficial vessels alone lie also
found an increase Of ig.33 per cent
In the hemoglobin; the later, however.
increasing more slowly than the cor
p~uscles. As this In exactly what hap
pens after a hemorrhage, when there
II a rapid increase OF red corpuscles
followed by "a gradual increase OF the
hemoglobin. he believes II TO be ad-
ditional proof that altitude increases
the actual amount OF both corpuscles
and hemoglo0in and hat Il Is 10 mere
relative apparent Increase.
Muntz. experimenting on rabbits,
found that the specific gravity OF the
blood, also the amount % iron. was
Increased by a high altitude. Flauii
also got the same results. Regnard
probably established the basic cause.
when he proved that IL the barometrlc
| pressure was decreased the blood's
power % absorption Of oxygen was in
| creased.
DR.. Paul NJ Darlington. in the gov
eminent sanatorlum at Fl. stanton.
n. NJ, IN a long list Of cases. proved
| hat there was a rapid increase In the
hemoglobin Of all the cases coming
t..ere.
Doctors Webb and williams ma je
shown that there Is also a great In
crease in the number tactual and rel
ative) OF the lymphoctes of the blood
and as DIR. Opie had already proved
Is experiments In the Rockefeller In
stitute hat these cells are the most
pctIve of any OF the blood cells IN the
destruction Of tubercle baclili. the inn
portance OF this statement can he APP
preciated.
DR.. Leroy $. Peters Of Albuquer-
que. first proved the i.ct that a mod
erately high altitude produced a high
eT blood pressure In the eonsumptive.
and as a low blood pressure il a con-
slant symptom OF this disease. We
have another proof OF the value NJ
high altitude treatment.
When it IL considered that the
blood IL our greatest defender and our
hope OF cure ia not only tuberculosis
bot most other diseases Is chiefly de-
pendent upon the condition OF our
blood, the above facts are impressive.
/ and the value OF the so-called altitude
/ treatment established.
Effects II Law humidity.
The effects of Low humidity are less
understood, but any tuberculosis pa
tient will tell YOU that they always
feel better during dry weather, and
any physician knows that foggy, DAMP
weather viii be followed by an in
crease In the number OF pleurisys,
hemorrhages. etc., etc, he has la
treat. one explanation for this In the
fact that practically all germs grow
best in damp. dark places. and the
high humidity of rainy climates n
productive Of that complication that
every physician breads In tubercu-
losis-mixed infection-while this dry,
germ free air OF this desert country
tends 60 limit the trouble to the one
invading germ.
The SUNSHINE.
The third and last factor, that Of
l'sunshine, Is almost as important az
that Of altitude.
Weber and others have demonstrate
ed that a want OF sunlight will de-
Velop symptoms OF general depression
and a condition analogous TO intermlt-
tent fever, while We have seen It's good
influence In anemia and other condi-
I lions The bactericidai effect Of tho
sun has nveer been recognized, and
the intense, almost constant sunlight
OF the southwest may explain 10 "A
/ great extent the rarity OF liying or
ganisms IN the air. Experiments car
ried on at the University OF New Mex
leo In Albuquerque showed that a.
low as i've minutes exposure 10 the
sun Of n smear Of tubercle bacilli
would destroy them.
A practical demonstration OF how
free from germs Ia the air OF New
Mexico. is the familiar sight OF a part
or whole beef swinging on a pole In
| the summer sun, which takes the
place of a refrigerator 20 the New
Mexico rancher. for In this sterile,
germ free air the meat will not put
| refy.
The wonderful success In treating
surgical forms OF tuberculosis by
'-Hoiarization'' or simply by exposing
the patients body to the suns rays
for hours az a time, IL n nf the most
recent proofs OF the value ~ sunshine
Ia tuberculosis therapy.
A Cheerful Climate.
A secondary effect OF sunshine, that
il also quite important, Is the eject
on the minds and spirits 81 the pa
tients. Almost anywhere Ia Arizona
or New Mexico one can depend upon