The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1917-05-11

y
mosphere. The amount of rainfall
during the year averages, think, a
bout forty-five inches. am not GER
tain in regard to these figures, how
ever, as it is some time since look
ed them up; simply repeat as they
happen to come to my mind.
when / first went to Marietta, |
was suffering from debility, unable
to attend to any business, scarcely
able to get around; but l found my
residence there every month seemed
to improve me; and for the past two
or three years j have considered my
self as certainly not on the invalid
corps. l have been thrown in contact
with good many persons who have
gone south for pulmonary troubles,
who have visited various sections of
country not only in the far South but
California and Texas, and their ex-
pericence has been, many of them,
very similar to my own; that while
we find that other climates may be
more equable in temperature, still in
the long run invalids do not do so
well as they do in the upper sections
of Georgia, of which we are speak
ing. | think, of course, you are all
aware that one reason why persons
derive SO little benefit from a change
of climateNis that they leave the mat
ter too long before seeking a change
they seek it as a last resort. Many
patients have gone to Marietta whom
| have been obliged to send home "a
gain so that they may die among
their friends; they went there too
late, and only as last resort. A
number of cases have come under
my observation, where persons have
gone early and remained there, who
have been very much benfited perma-
nently. Again, another trouble with
persons who leave home for another
climate on account of pulmonary
trouble, is that they depend too much
upon the climate. They go there
and sit down, thinking all they have
to do is to breathe in the air and
breathe in health, and they make no
effort to invigorate their systems by
exercise and proper hygiene and
diet. And then others, of course, are
troubled with inconsistencies; having
nothing to occupy their minds they
begin to worry, and soon as the wea-
Their gets little warm they are a.
fraid they are going to be injured
by residence in hot southern eli
mate, and, therefore, they feel that
they must go home. Cosequently
they come north, probably arriving
in the midst of snowstorm, or in
cold eastern storm. And as has
been the case with some patients
whom | have treated, they return to
New York in good condition, but in
few months take pneumonia and die
However, | am very well assured
in my own case this removal has GER
tainly been the best thing l could
| have done, as it has been in the case
of others with whom | am acquaint-
ed. OF course, as | said before,
there is no climate that will suit ev-
cry case. There is no climate under
heaven that will cure every case. Tu-
| berculosis carries off a vast number
of the human race, and we have no
panacea for it. | am satisfied that
with a reasonably fair climate, to-
gether with other measures, there is
reasonable hope for benefit; and
think the great mistake that many
and may say the majority of pa
tients make, is that as soon as they
feel benefited, and as | said before
as the spring comes, they want tC
return home. They are not willing
to make the place which agrees with
them a permanent residence. In my
opinion every one who goes to &
new climate for the purpose of re.
gaining health, and finds that he i.
benefited, should remain one year, al
least, after all signs of trouble have
disappeared; but it is difficult tC
make people believe this. Now | have
in my mind gentleman who has
been going South for several years
past. He spends a portion of the
winter at Marietta and does extreme
ly well; but he comes North in the
summer, and very often has a set
back which puts him about where he
was the previous fall. If he haC
remained there during the entire sea
son for the past five or six years,
have no doubt but that he would have
been entirely relieved of his trouble
Very many think that because the
winters are mild the summers are
exceedingly long and hot The sum
mers are really exceedingly pleasant
We rarely have a temperature above