NO. I AIR AND TUBERCULOSIS — HINSDALE 121 



Anyone who will read the interesting story by Van Tassel Sutphen 

 entitled " The Negative Pole," ' will find the history of an interesting 

 case of pulmonary tuberculosis cufed by residence of eighteen months 

 on the top of a modern " skyscraper," The patient had been advised 

 to remove to Arizona, but circumstances made this advice impossible 

 to follow ; as an alternative measure he isolated himself almost en- 

 tirely from the world in the midst of a metropolis, and was rewarded 

 by a complete cure. The imaginative author of this original story 

 assigns to the patient a much more difficult role than need be assumed 

 by anyone who may follow the general line of treatment and perhaps 

 we may hear of many who may be encouraged to carry out the plan 

 suggested. 



In the forest during the warmer season tents are almost indispensa- 

 ble. A substantial tent properly erected, protected with a " fly " and 

 with a surrounding trench to provide for excessive rainfall, can be 

 made a comfortable and healthful habitation during a large part of 

 the year. 



The ventilation of tents, and their heating in cold weather, have 

 received a great deal of study, and as they are perfected in these 

 respects their suitability for a continuous residence throughout the 

 year has been proved. Tents can be made storm proof and almost 

 as comfortable in stormy weather as an ordinary building. On 

 Blackwell's Island and on Ward's Island, New York City, tents are 

 in constant use, with astonishing success for tuberculous patients. 



At the Manhattan State Hospital East, for the insane, Ward's 

 Island, New York City, the late Dr. A. E. Macdonald instituted, in 

 1901, a tent colony for the tuberculous patients. 



This experiment resulted most favorably and led to the extension 

 of the outdoor treatment to other classes of the insane besides the 

 consumptives. For thirteen years the consumptive insane on Ward's 

 Island have been treated in tents and pavilions. Tuberculous infec- 

 tion has been removed from the wards and 11.39 P^^ cent of patients 

 are reported to have had their tubercular disease arrested. They 

 almost invariably gained flesh ; one is reported to have gained 79.5 

 lbs, (Eighth Annual Report, Manhattan State Hosp., New York.) 

 In the Eighth Annual Report the following comment is made : " In 

 our experience the winter months have proven to be the most favor- 

 able for these patients, despite popular opinion to the contrary, and 

 likewise it is seen that the summer month of July was in a decided 

 manner proven to be the least favorable of the year." 



^ Harper's Magazine, July, 1908. 



