The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-07-18
Symptoms Of SunStroke.


The symptoms of sunstroke are at once
uniform and diverse-uniform in their
general outline, and diverse in their
especial details In the ordinary form
that which may be spoken of as the cere
brospinal variety-after more less distinct
warning, in the shape of such Fremont,
tory symptoms as headache, disordered
vision, intense weariness, etc., the subject
becomes unconscious, sometimes more
gradually. The laborer will fall sense
less in the street; in the hospital the
comrades of a sick man will have their
attention attraced by his heavy breath
ing only to find that natural sleep has
passed by sensible degrees into fatal coma
or stupor. With this insensibility there
is always associated intense heat of the
skin. To the hand the surface feels in,
tensely hot; nor is the sensation decep-
tive one-the heat of the body exceeds
that attained in almost any other atfec
ton. A thermometer placed in the
armpit, instead of indicating ninety eight
degrees, Fahrenheit, the temperature of
health, rises generally to one hundred
and nine degrees, in some cases even to
one hundred and thirteen degrees. From
the peculiar pungency of this heat the
technical term calor nlordar, or biting
heat, has been applied to it.
The suface may or may not be pale +;
very often it is dusky, with a livid blush
purple hue. The eyes are sometimes
wild aud restless, sometimes fixed and
glaring, sometimes dull with leaden hue
of approaching death. The pupils at
first are generally contracted ; in the later
stages they are often wildly dilated.-
With these symptoms ofintense fever are
others betoken nervous disturbance. In
some cases those are of the nature OF
paralysis, the patient lying apparently in
the deepest sleep, not muscle moving,
not limb raised, not au eyelid quiver
ing In other cases this peaceful though
deadly calm is replaced by wild temp
est-raging delirium, wild screams as
though of intensest agony or uncontroll
able passion, furious couvulsions follow
ing one another, like the rapid discharge
of galvanic battery, throwing the body
in all directions, twisting it into every
conceivable shape, the countenance mock
ing the derisive laughter of the maniac
or knotted into an expression of agony
In another and perhaps more common
class the unconscious patient is simply
restless, muttering incoherent words, tos
sing about on the bed, showing, perhaps
also signs of local paralysis. There ap
pears to be curious connection betweel
this variety of symptoms and the differ
ence of races. The Anglo Saxon rarel,
becomes wildly delirious, whilst this i
the most common symptom amongst tn
Latin nations. Frenchmen thus attacked
often become melancholic, and develops
an irresistible tendency to suicide, so tha
soldiers on the march will suddenly shoe
themselves.
Whatever may be the form of the at
tack, generally as the minutes pass th
symptoms are intensified the quick pulls
of the first onset becomes more and NOR
feeble, the labored breathing noisy an'
stentorious, the surface darker aud dark
er as respiration falls and death at las
is brought about by asphixia, and some
times by the almost consentaneous fadin:
away OF respiration ana clrculatlon.
The one great symptom, the centre o.
the group in all forms of the disease, i
the high temperature. If the skin b.
cool the case is not sunstroke. Afte
death the high temperature continues
and is said sometimes to rise higher
Decomposition follows with exceeding
rapidity. On post mortem examination
the only features of striking importanc
area condition of blood similar to tha
seen in low fevers, rigid, contracte
state of the heart, in which it feels lk
wood, and a great tendency toward th
rapid but transient development of tina
peculiar stffening which at some time a
ter death takes possession of the muscr
lar tissues.-Lippincott'S Nag=ine.