An ill wind

The Foehn in Leukerbad and beyond

Bibliographic Data

ID2266818
AuthorsSarah Strau (0000-0002-5875-6383, University of Wyoming, corresponding author), Sarah Strauss (0000-0001-9999-1059)
Year2007
Volume13
Issues1
Pages0-0
Publication date2007-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1359-0987 • E-ISSN: 1467-9655
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-9655.2007.00406.x
OpenAlexW1981648822
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited12

The Foehn is a warm, dry, downslope wind found on the lee side of mountains; the type-location for this adiabatic wind is the European Alps. In the Swiss village of Leukerbad, residents are quite familiar with the Foehn, which sweeps regularly through the main Rhone valley from the southeast. Leukerbad, located in a side valley, rarely experiences the full force of the Foehn, but the effects of this wind are well known: people say that the Foehn brings headaches, makes them depressed, invites suicide, and generates a feeling of ill health. In contrast, another wind occurring in this valley, the Gemmiwind - which comes over the Gemmi pass into Leukerbad from the north - is known only as a cold wind. Drawing on ethnographic data and literary representations as well as biomedical and meteorological analyses, we consider the meanings of the Foehn as it has penetrated the bodies and minds of mountain inhabitants in Switzerland and beyond

Climatology · Feeling · Geography · Headaches · Meteorology · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Geology · History · Psychology · Social Psychology · Therapeutic Uses of Natural Elements

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