The treatment of tuberculosis and other chronic pulmonary diseases by climate has been long established on an empiric basis. Because of tradition, fixed ideas and the overenthusiasm of the advocates of such treatment it has become difficult to determine the actual value of climatotherapy. Therefore, in recent years there has been a tendency to discredit and perhaps to underevaluate all climatotherapy as a means of treating the whole person. At the same time, methods of treatment by irradiation with sunlight, artificial heliotherapy and roentgen rays have been developed as the modern version of some aspects of climatotherapy.
To present a complete and at the same time an unbiased study of irradiation and climatic therapy, Dr. Mayer has asked authorities to write chapters on the basic scientific facts of the two types of treatment and physicians experienced in treating chronic pulmonary diseases in various climates to write about their results. There