Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-07-17
THE CLASS OF PEOPLE ATTACKED.


There is No particular occupation, DR..
LOOMS says, which is preGisposed to this at
lection. Of the two great classes of men,
| those who labor with their brains and those
who labor with their muscles, the latter are
more likely to be suns truck All of the con-
dltions are aggravated if the day be calm, as
even the slightest breeze would assist che
evaporation of the perspration, and so keep
the temperature of the body down. As an
illustration of the fact that it is the effect or
heat prolonged through several days that
causes sunstroke, the instances are cited of
persons who go into hot furnace and remain
| there for short time without injury. The
| question whether or not certain cases of sun
stroke will terminate fatally depends entirely
| upon the heat Of the body. If the temper
| ature rises rapidly, and cannot be reduced
quickly, the patient will die. There is no
| given degree, however, which when reached
can be called fatal. About two years ago
| DR.. L0omis had In one of the wards at Belle
vue hospital sunstruck patient whose bodily
| heat attained the remarkable hight of one
hundred and ten degrees, twelve degrees
| above the natural standard, yet this patient
recovered. Within a few days patient was
admitted to the same hospital
| whose temperature Tuesday night
was one hundred and seven degrees.
| Wednesday morning be was reported as do
! ing well. There is no time of day at which a
| sunshoke may be expected to occur. 1t is
| seldom noticed before ten o'clock in the
morning, and may occur in the nighttime.
| DIR. Loomis had case of woman who had
| been ironing steadily all day in a close, hot
| room, taking no stimulants and drinking
cold tea to relieve her thirst. She was sun
| struck at eleven o'clock at night. Dr.
| LOOMS makes no distinction between differ
| ent cases Of sunstroke. He recognizes n diff
| ference of degree, but not of kind, and all are
! treated on the same principle Death occurs
from follr Of no Of ita o,l
lungs, but which ceases to act first is a moot
| ed point Some physicians hold that paraI-
| ysis OF the heart causes death, together with
congestion of the brain. 1t is noticed in ex-
aiming bodies after death that the brain is
| filed with venous blood, that all the organs
| and tissues are very soft, that some OF the
organs show degeneration, and that the blood
is unnaturally fluid.
TREATMENT FOR sUNsTRoKE.-
The treatment of sunstroke during the pc
| Rod OF Inconsistencies Is as follows: Wrap
the patient in a sheet, the temperature of
which is about eighty degrees, and over this
place sheet wrung out of ice cold water.
Or the patient may be wrapped in the first
sheet and sprinkled with cold water, or given
a cold bath in any way that will not cause
shock of the nerves. Ice should be applied
to the top of the head and cold water to the
spine. The object Of this is to reduce the
temperature rapidly as possible. When
the body is reduced to one hundred degrees
there should be a pause In the treatment If
the temperature again rises, again apply the
cold, and repeat this treatment until the tenn
perature ceases to rise. At the same time
stimulating injections may be used the bow
els unloaded and the kidneys kept in action.
When consciousness has returned, which it
will do unless the heat has been too pro-
longed, the patient may be moderately slim
ulated. After the second stage, which lasts
from one to forty eight hours, the patient re-
covers in two or three days. 1t is a long
time, however, before the functions of the
brain and nervous system are restored. 1t
has been said that permanent disturbance of
the reasoning powers and loss of memory
have followed sunstroke, but this has never
happened IN DR.. Loomis's experience It is
certain, however, that patients are more sus-
ceptible to heat after having experienced SUM-
stroke.
The main points which Dr. LOOMS thinks
should be impressed upon the public with re-
gard to sunstroke are as follows:
Living in filthy rooms predisposes to sun
stroke.
Living in rooms where the air is hot and
calm predisposes to sunstroke.
Drinking alcoholic liquors predsposes to
sunstroke.
Using physical exertion for prolonged
time, as in the case of laborers, predisposes
to sunstroke.
Diet has little to do with this affection.
People may eat during the summer months
any kind of fresh nourishing meat or vege-
tables that they fancy.