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T was a little over twenty years ago that Koch discovered the minute form of life which has been called the bacillus of tuberculosis, a proof that consumption is infectious. What the eminent savant detected beneath the microscope resulted in a radical change in the method of treating this disease. As medical men have studied the various methods, the benefit which nature could confer in eradicating it has been more and more appreciated, until the time seems to have come when medicine may be considered but an incidental in successful treatment.

It may be an exaggerated prediction to make, that twenty years hence may see the man or woman whom the physician has diagnosed as suffering from lung trouble starting for the health camp in the vicinity of his or her abode, to return a few weeks or a few months later restored to health, and able to again take up life's pursuits, an era when some of the hospitals which have been constructed and equipped purposely to care for pulmonary patients will be needless, and consumption in its advanced stage

almost as rare as smallpox or yellow fever: yet, judging by the results which have thus far been attained, there is a possibility of this state of affairs coming to pass, and not far in the future. The fact is, that out in the open, even amid snow drifts of winter, there are elements which have more curative properties than any compound which has yet been prepared by the chemist, and the one who is not too far advanced in illness to spend nights as well as days living in almost as primitive manner as the Indian of the last century can be restored to health without the necessity of going thousands of miles to sojourn on a mountain top or in a land where snow is unknown.

At a recent gathering in Pittsburg, Pa., one of the most prominent physicians of the State made an address, in which he gave his formula for the cure of tuberculosis. It was this: "Eight hours a day in the open air, unless the weather is so inclement as to make this a practical impossibility; a clean, healthy diet, consisting largely of milk and eggs; and the exercise of proper precaution against infection from the

the damp, cold winds which come over it from the Atlantic and the " late" springs, with their many "gray days," which increase the cough, and aid the spread of the fatal germ. But right in the heart of it all two open-air colonies, as they might be termed, have been established, whose members have truly made a successful fight. Somewhat more elaborate in their character than the White Haven community, these are conducted on a similar plan. Sites were selected where the surroundings would be helpful to the patients. When the buildings were constructed the architect gave air and sunlight the first consideration. Here the members are encouraged to aid in regaining health by remaining out of doors at all seasons of the year as much as the weather will permit, and both at Rutland and at Sharon the results have been as remarkable as up in the mountains of western Pennsylvania, for weekly are dismissed men and women pronounced "cured" who joined the communities mere wrecks of humanity.

The Christian Scientist may believe that some of the cases are examples of unconscious belief in his theory, and the remarkable change which comes over the victim after a few weeks or months of this life might be attributed to some supernatural cause. Few of the guests at White Haven remain over six months, yet in that period the records show that fully 50 per cent. of the total number leave apparently restored to health. After going to their homes they are carefully watched for any sign of the disease returning, but thus far the restoration has been so complete that only a very small percentage have had a relapse. Fortunately, very complete records have been made at the New England sanitariums, and at Rutland especially each case has been carefully studied. During one year, out of one hundred and forty-one per

sons treated fifty-six departed apparently cured, while thirty who were unable to remain longer were so greatly improved that the majority have since literally healed themselves. Of the one hundred and forty-one, seventy-five were what physicians termed in an advanced stage, all of the symptoms being prominent. During the year under consideration only two succumbed to the disease, in spite of the many who were considered by their own practitioners as hopeless cases. The last report of the Sharon Sanitarium shows equally as good results. Out of forty-two patients who left it during the year, in twenty-three the disease was "arrested," while sixteen were greatly improved. By the term "arrested" is meant all cases where the cough and the fever have entirely disappeared and an examination shows no germs of tuberculosis whatever in the sputa.

It is truly an easy and enjoyable way of getting well for any one who is a lover of nature, for, as has been stated, the main principle carried out is to get in touch with that which is out of doors, to be amid the trees, continually breathing the air purified by natural processes, to exercise and eat and sleep, if possible, with the sky for a canopy. The medical man of the

But

olden time would indeed be shocked if he could visit one of these places, to see so-called invalids hard at work in the forests making their camps, lolling about in hammocks in summer with heads uncovered, and lying muffled in blankets and furs in the sunlight in the dead of winter, with no shelter but the blue sky above them. these are only some of the ways in which health is sought. Patients who are able to stand the exercise amuse themselves by clearing away the snow from the verandas in the winter, even the women handling the broom and shovel and enjoying it. Coasting on the hillsides is another

strange recreation for those whom we call consumptives encouraged at the Massachusetts institutions. Physical culture is one of the requisites for those who are able to attempt it, and daily a dozen or a score of patients are put through the simple movements, under the guidance of perhaps one of their number or a member of the medical staff. The tent life is a part of the routine of the women in summer as well as of the men, and it is an actual fact that in Massachusetts some of the women have erected their own camps for winter, decorating the walls with posters and photographs, and converting them into miniature clubhouses, where they occupy themselves in conversation, reading, sewing, and various games.

These camps are unique in many respects. The buildings are composed of but three sides, that facing the south being left open. They are simply sheds, having a floor to prevent the dampness from the ground affecting the inmates. Sometimes forest trees are used for posts, and the walls made of planks or boughs fastened to them. If the temperature is too low for comfort, it is moderated by the use of a small stove, sometimes an open fire. Draught is furnished by digging a tunnel through the earth beneath the shed, terminating in a length of clay pipe. When a fire is started the air is sucked through this conduit, and that keeps it burning brightly.

At all of these so-called sanitariums there is abundant exercise for the men, for they are depended upon to perform the necessary out-ofdoor work. They secure the wood for the fires in the institution, cultivate the gardens, and keep the walks free from snow. Of course, the

GETTING READY FOR A NOONDAY MEAL AT A WINTER CAMP.

cuperate so rapidly that he prefers to remain in the open, and chafes when restrained indoors during inclement weather. Seldom do any suffer from the remarkable exposure to the ele ments, in spite of the rigorous climate in this part of the United States. Some of the winter camps are a mile or more from the sanitarium ; but away start the members in the morning, perhaps tramping through two or three feet of snow to reach them. In this rude shelter they are so content that the dinner hour finds them reluctant to leave, and at White Haven a few of the hardier "campers" have been permitted to cook their own dinners over the heaters, and, providing themselves with utensils, have taken turns in acting as chef. The others return to the camps in the afternoon, to stay until nightfall compels them to retrace their steps.

These men and women realize that every breath of the pure atmosphere is a bar to their ailment, and their eagerness to be in it-to inhale it is not strange when one considers the years some of them have fought to regain their health, years of suffering and endurance which none could appreciate save those who have the same affliction as themselves. Recognizing nature's remedy, it may be said that only when considered absolutely necessary is medicine or stimulant administered, and the comparatively few who require these are usually recent arrivals, whose systems have been weakened by long duration of the complaint. As they improve an

effort is made to substitute food for the tonic. The menu is not limited. It includes the usual meats and vegetables, with tea and coffee; but, as already indicated, milk and raw eggs are considered of special value, and all are expected to add these to their daily diet. Sleep is another essential, and physical effort is encouraged as a promoter of it. The occupation of the mind also tends to keep off the melancholy feeling which often affects the consumptive especially, so the social atmosphere is considered to be one of the most valuable features. In fact, the ab

sence of so many of the dreary accompaniments of hospital life is remarked by the visitor, who might easily mistake the purpose of one of these settlements were it not for the appearance of some of the patients whose features tell too plainly the inroads which disease has made upon them.

Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are not the only States where an attempt has been made to cope with consumption by this form of open-air treatment. Its importance has been studied in the West, and for several years an Indiana phy sician has recommended it to his patients. The little colony he has established contains no sani tarium, consisting merely of a few wooden huts built on a slight elevation and surrounded by pine and other trees. The colony is occupied winter and summer. As in the East, exercise proportioned to the strength of the invalid is not only approved, but required. The diet consists of simple, nourishing food. Except where one

ON THE SHARON GOLF LINKS.

is very weak, little or no medicine is prescribed, and as the strength returns nature is left to complete the cure. plete the cure. The principal duty of the doctor is to see that his charges observe the rules for destroying the infectious germs by burning their sputa, and to caution them about overexertion as improvement in health brings with it hope and enthusiasm, which leads them to exaggerate their power of endurance. While the treatment in this Indiana settlement has been limited to a comparatively few persons, nearly all of those who have remained during the period designated by the physician in charge have left it apparently

cured, although they included several who had been pronounced beyond recovery.

The success of somewhat similar plans in northern. Europe is familiar to the medical profession. The sanitarium at Frankfort-onMain attracted much attention whe first opened by the decision to have the windows consist merely of openings, without glass. Even the sleeping chambers are unprotected, and their occupants are continually exposed. to the air currents at all seasons of the year. The possible effect of changes in temperature is counteracted by increasing or decreasing. the bed covering. The sun bath on the verandas about the building is expected to be taken by all who are able,