The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-03
Tho Cause and Prevention OF Sum
stroke,

stroke.
As the period SO marked by the frequency
of sunstroke in our large cities advances the
investigation of this fatal phenomenon acquires
increasing interest. Heretofore medical sci
ence has contented itself with providing
alternative or remedial agents, to be employed
after the patient is struck down, but as yet the
cause and prevention of sunstroke have been
shrouded in mystery.
Sunstroke is usually ranked by physicians
with affections of the nervous system, and
while manifesting itself as such it may be,
perhaps, traced to certain well defined
climatologic or meteorologic conditions. Its
home, as q disease, is India-that hotbed of
morbifc phenomena-and other tropical eli
mates, distinguished mainly not SO much by
their excessive heat alone as by their excessive
humidity. This popularity of Indian climate
is due to its monsoons, which, blowing from
the steaming bosom of the Indian Ocean
steadily for six months at time, suffuse
the air with water and make it MORALLY op-
pressive to man and beast.
The Indian physicians, from whom most
that is now known of sunstroke has been
derived have not made exhaustive observa-
tons from which the cause of the affection
can be certainly deduced but they have
described it sufficiently to warrant some con-
illusions which we may safely draw for the
benefit Of the public. 1t pretty clearly
appears that sunstroke is most frequent and
fatal to persons wearing woollen clothing at
times when, the Summer having we'll advanced,
hot and evaporative winds pass over localities
furnishing large quantities of vapor to the dir.
The failure of the Precipitation, owing to hard
ening or uncleanlness of the skin, or, oftener,
to the extreme humidity which serves as
blanket enveloping the body and inducing
dangerous rise of the body's temperature is
one of the very first and most unmistakable
symptoms. 1t has been commended that sun
stroke is due to the action of light upon the
brain, exerted through the eye, and some have
gone SO far as to- assert that if the
eye be properly shaded from the solar
glare all other precautions against sun
stroke may be dispensed with. But
this theory is completely upset by the we'll
known and remarkable fact that the soldiers of
the Anglo-Indian army were attacked by sun
stroke under root, and the Indian surgeons
describe many cases of actual attack which
came on while the men were in their tents.
both by day and by night. Indeed, the dam
ger is often represented as increased by one
going into any close and ill-ventilated quar-
tiers, no matter how well shielded from the
SUM- i:sss,.a Y q
From the fact that sunstroke so called. ia
not averted by shelter from solar radiation and
glare, it has been supposed that the high
temperature generates poisonous gases in the
human system, and thus produces the fatal
issue. This may be so, for aught we know.
Moreover, while a cloud canopy or screen
may serve to arrest the dark waves of the suns
heat, shown by the red end of the solar spec
trum, the actinic or chemical rays, shown by
the violet end of the spectrum, may yet re-
bound with deadly effect on the human sys
tenn, Frustrated by over-exertion, intemper-
ance or any other cause, and produce the
symptoms of sunstroke. These points are
anu haNo ionB DCch oPeh w meulcal ana
meteorologic research, and the high annual
death rate from sunstroke should spur our
savans to diligent study and observation of all
conditions surrounding every case of attack.
But so far as accurate observation has pro-
ceeded, the inference is that this sudden and
terrible malady is directly traceable to
rapid rise of temperature in the body when
Precipitation is checked by excretions of the
skin, from uncleanliness, overdress, close con-
fnement or more usually, if not always, by
the accompanying accumulation of moisture
in the air after rapid evaporation. This con-
clusion is borne out by the invaluable data
of sunstroke furnished with the new census
disease charts, from which it appears that in
the comparatively dry regions of Minnesota
and Nebraska Colorado. Dakota Montana