The climatic treatment of phthisis / by Harold Williams.

  • Williams, Harold
Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The climatic treatment of phthisis / by Harold Williams. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    miin with well-marked signs at the apex of one lung following upon copious luemoptysis, who was completely restored to health while living in one of the most crowded and unhealthful localities in this city, and I am sure I need not remind you of the two cases reported bv Dr. E. G. Cutler ^ in a recent number of the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. This rule, that certain cases of phthisis tend to recov- ery, I think may be regarded as an axiom ; and the same holds good of its converse, that certain cases of phthisis tend to progressive advancement in spite of ail that treatment can accomplish to the contrary. To express this more plainl}'’, I may say that some cases will inevitably recover, while others will as inevi- tably die, notwithstanding the treatment which may be applied to them, so that recovery or death in any givdn case should not be ascribed to climate alone, in disre- gard of other factors. The second consideration which I would urge upon 3mu, is the importancese of any change of climate ; a change which is often accompanied by a change of scene, of habits, of exercise, of food, of dress, of thought, of companionship and of surroundings; such changes are generally ijleasurable changes, and “ states of ])leasure are concomitant with an increase of some or all the vital functions.” In my opinion, much of the gain which is derived from a change of climate, is due not so much to the curative properties of that climate as may be attributed to the effect of the change. But in spite of these facts, that some cases tend to recovery while others as necessarily tend to decline, and that the mere change of residence is valuable in itself, yet this does not preclude the possibility that a given change of residence may be better than another; that some classes of health resorts may be more effica- cious than others, and for other reasons in addition to ' Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, March 26, 1SS6, p. 296.