The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-07-08
NUMBER AZ.
Warming and Advice About the Dreaded
SunStrOke

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Sunstroke, coup de soliel, insolation,
or heat apoplexy, for by all these names
is .his complaint known. has been rec
ognized from the earliest times, and :.
could in fact hardly have escaped OBJ
servation. There is q case of it related
in the Bible. "And Manassas was her
husband, of her tribe and kindred, who
died in the barley harvest. For as he
stood overseeing them, and bound
sheaves in the field, the heat came upon
his head, and he fell on his bed and
died in the city of Bethulia." 1t is by
no means uncommon in this country,
and during the summer months one can
hardly take up paper without seeing
the account of case. In tropical eli
mates it is of much more frequent oc-
;currence than with US.
Direct exposure to the rays of the
sun is by no means necessary for the
production of sunstroke. 1t is not of
unfrequent Occurrences among men shut
up in impure and heated air in hot eli
mates. 1t is often observed on board
ship when oyercrowding and impure
air are added to the influence of excess
i've heat. It is-especially to be dreaded
when excessive heat is aggravated by
prolonged calms. 1t is now well known
that men will bear q high temperature
in the open air with comparative inn
punity, provided it is not too long-con-,
tinued, that the dress is reasonably
adapted to the temperature, that the
free movements of the chest are not in
terfered with by straps or baggage,
and that alcoholic liquors are not in
dulged in.
The symptoms of sunstroke vary
much in different cases. Often with
out the slightest warning the patient
falls, gasps and expires before anything
can be done for him. Sometimes the
attack is less sudden in its mode of on
set. and there are premonitory symptoms
giving notice of the coming danger.
The skin get very dry and hot, and the
temperature rises to 107 degrees or
thereabouts. The patient complains of
giddiness, weakness and nausea,
Soon he becomes hysterical or delil ious,
and rushes out roaring with laughter.
or perhaps screaming with terror in an
attempt to escape from some imaginary
enemy. People in this state have en-
deavOred to take their lives or to injure
those who have tried to restrain them.
After a time the patient becomes insen-
sible, the heat and dryness of the skin
augment and the closing scene is
In the former variety death ensues al
most instantaneously, whilst in the lat
ter the symptoms may be protracted
over couple of days.
Now as to the treatment of sunstroke.
Throw some water over your patient,
and carry him as quickly as possible to
and douche his head, face and chest
with cold water. IF this treatment be
quickly and energetically performed it
may save his life. Should the skin re-
main hot, repeat the douche at intervals.
Apply ammonia, or sal volatile. or
smelling salts, to the nose occasionally.
If sensibility be not restored by the
douche, apply q blister to the nape of
the neck, or get the head shaved and
put blister on the scalp. Two drops
of croton oil placed at the back of the
tongue will cause the bowels to act, and
will do good. Get medical advice as
soon as you possibly can.
Bleeding should never be resorted to.
When the patient is bled he nearly al
ways dies. In illustration of the per-
niciOus effects of bleeding in sunstroke
the following case is related: During
active service in the presence of the
enemy, an officer of rank had sum
stroke. The assistant surgeon in med
ical charge of the battery where this
happened had the sufferer Instantly re-
moved to the nearest shade, stripped
him, used the douche freely, and had
the satisfaction to see his patient re-
vive and consciousness return. An Of
fetal superior, .san older, not a bet
teri physician, unhappily coming up
at this critical moment, insisted on
Sc, of
trickled away. and so did the life of the
officer. Death Immediately followed
the operation.
When there are commissions the ad-
ministration of chloroform is often at
tended with the most beneficial results.
By prompt, careful aud judicious treat
ment one may fairly hope for recovery.
At the same time, those who recover
are scarcely ever the men they were be-
fore; they are subject to persistent
headache, lose their memory and their
force of intellect, and become incapa-
BILE, fatuous and even paraiytic.c Epi-
lepsy often occurs in those who have
an hereditary tendency to it. For the
persistent headache following sunsiroke
the best treatment is bromide of potas-
sium, in two tablespoonful doses of the
mixture An occasional blister applied
to the nape of the neck will do good.
The general health should, as far as
possible, be maintained and improved
by friction of the skin, bathing. exer-
else in the open air, and so on.
For the prevention Of sunstroke the
following rules are Important: A cold
bath should be taken every morning, to
insure free and clean skin. Natural
perspiration should not be checked.
The clothing-llanncls are the best
should be light and loose, and the head
and spine should be protected by thin
folds of white linen or serge, which
i've. All intoxicating .liquOrs-beer,
but water, tea, lemonade or some other
simple drink should be taken freely.
Directly there is experienced any sense
of pain or tightness about the fore
| head, or dizziness, or weakness, the
sufferer should lie down and have cold
water poured gently over his head.
Cold tea, or coffee, or iced water, should
| be given to drink. A little sal volatile
will do no harm, but spirits should not
| be given unless the prostration is very
great. The following are briefly the
rules which should guide the manage
| ment of persons travelling in tropical
climates: The weak and sickly had bet
ter be left behind when the heat is very
great. The costume should be adapted
for the early morning hours before
sunrise, as well as for the scosching
heat which follows. A flannel shirt
should be worn, and the neck should
be perfectly free. Nothing should be
permitted to impede the free move
ments of the chest. The men should
march ''easy," and the pace should not
exceed three and half miles an hour.
There should be q halt of five or ten
minutes every hour, and a long half
way, when every one should have a
biscuit and cup of coffee. When the
sun is up the halts should be so timed