THE OCEAN AS THE RESERVOIR OF HEALTH 19 



Indies, as these beautiful islands are erroneously called, 

 will be the ideal winter resort for those who can afford to 

 leave the inclement Northern regions during the sun's 

 sojourn south of the line. Already the enterprise of 

 great steamship companies is bringing this beautiful 

 region well within the reach of people of quite moderate 

 means, and it is pleasant to know that this energetic 

 prosecution of legitimate business is rewarding its 

 promoters in substantial fashion. 



Our consideration of the climatic conditions of the 

 countries bounding the great Middle Sea of the West, 

 the Gulf of Mexico, must be exceedingly brief. First, 

 because the aeration of these countries from the East 

 is very slight, the ocean winds having been arrested 

 in their benevolent career by the great chain of the 

 Antilles ; and, secondly, because the owners of most of 

 these countries do, by their gross neglect of all the 

 ordinary rules of health, deprive themselves of most of 

 the benefits the ocean winds lavish upon them. As an 

 instance of this, I would quote the case of the beautiful 

 city of San Jose, Costa Bica, which is situated in an 

 ideal position at an altitude of several thousand feet 

 above the sea, between two oceans, and close to both, 

 with the result that the climate is about as perfect as 

 can be found in the whole world, although it is only 

 about six hundred miles north of the equatorial line. 

 When I was there a short time ago, I ventured to 

 remark to my host that, in such a lovely position, both 

 climatically and picturesquely, I should expect that 

 the death-rate was abnormally low. He sadly shook 

 his head, and informed me that, so far from that being 

 the case, it was the exact contrary, the death-rate being 

 dreadfully high by reason of the prevalence of typlwid. 



