Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-12

! Ism, other causes, 4l9; total IN the d1S-
triet named, 500.
| sUNsTRoRE OR THERMIC FEVER
We have to report two cases of what is
| commonly called sunstroke" this month
! both happening within few days of each
other. One in Gridley, Butte county, for
the particulars of which l am indebted to
DR.. James R. Todd, of that town. The
| other happened in Sacramento county, and
! came under the notice of the writer The
case in Gridley was that of stout, plethoric
man, aged IS years, who was in the field
| having. He complained of the intense
| heat. said he was never SO hot in his
| life" lay down under q shade tree and
when his fellow-worker returned to him,
in three quarters of an hour, he was un-
conscious, and died within an hour from
the time he was attacked. His death was
undoubtedly due to apoplexy, induced by
| heat.
| The second case was that of a Young man
! Is years of age who had Just arrived from
Norway, and had only worked one day.
/ On the second morning he drove a header
/ wagon, and about noon complained of in
tense pain in the back of his neck and
| spine. He lay down in the wagon, was
| driven very short distance to the farm
house and when removed was found to be
! insensible. He never recovered conscious
I ness, and died eonvIilsed before p. NJ,
evidently from thermic or heat fever. Sun
stroke, according to DR.. II. G. Wood is an
acute Inflammation of the brain, and very
rare. DR.. Wood says: There is no
! doubt that in exceptional cases an intense
heat may cause condition closely allied
| to conclusion of the brain, death resulting
| from paralysis of the hearts action or if
| that person be predisposed to apoplexy, or
| have weak or diseased heart, he may die
! suddenly at the very outset 1t is these
| exceptional cases that have given rise to the
incorrect term sunstroke'" 1t has been
remarked that the morning sun is specially
| dangerous. This has been accounted for
by supposing that the injurious effects are
chiefly due to the direct rays of the sun
striking the nape of the neck" Tidy, p. 76.)
THE CAUSE OF sUN-sTRoKE.
As sun-stroke, or thermic fever, is a very
rare occurrence in this State, but does occa-
sionally occur, it might be well to warn
newcomers to the country, that whatever
| induces nerve exhaustion, or checks pers-
piration, or embarrasses the circulation,
predisposes to heat apoplexy. Beer or
spirit, drinking are inductive of sun stroke
| Cold tea may be drank with impunity.
The head covering should permit a free
circulation of air beneath and a wet hand
kerchief or piece of rag placed over the
head and beneath the cap should always
| be used when the heat is excessive. Elan
nels should be worn next the person in
stead of cotton or linen, and some means
adopted to keep the rays of the sun off the
neck. Generally the first symptoms OBJ.
| served are headache, ringing in the ears,
rapid beating of the heart, and vomiting
the skin ceases perspiring, and uncon
sciousness quickly supervenes. The per-
son so attacked should.be at once laid down
in the shade, all clothing but one thin gar
ment should be removed, ice applied to the
head and body, or where this cannot be OBJ
tanned, cold water should be constantly
dashed on the body, or it should be
wrapped in wet sheet and cold water ap-
piled. If he can swallow, and the pulse is
lUeak and rapid, a little wine and water may
be administered, or little cold milk or
beef tea, until a physician is summoned.
Avoid giving whisky or brandy, as they
are more apt to kill than to cure As pre-
ventives, temperance, sobriety and cleanli.
ness, are the chief points to be observed by
residents in hot climates.
PREVAILING DISEASES.
The reports received of prevailing dis
| eases indicate that up to the present time
no severe zymotic sickness of any kind
exists in the State, in fact it has rarely en-
| ioyed so great and SO general an immunity
from all serious diseases as during the past
| few months The advent of warm weather
and the abundance of fruit have made
| their presence manifest by the increase of
bowel disorders. This may be traced in a
great measure to the high degree of tenn
perature coincident with the quantity of
moisture in the soil, which the unusually
large rainfall of winter and spring had left
! in the ground, acting as an exciting cause
on the other hand, the quantity of fruit
consumed may be looked upon as a promi-
nent factor. This is especially true as re-
| CARDS cherries, which seem to have had
very decided tendency this season to pro-
duce choleraic diarrhoa in most people
We find, in looking over our reports,
| that diarrhGa and dysentery are mentioned
as noticeable in Pomona, Asuza, Maxwell,
Gait, Sacramento, Salina City, Red Bluff,
| Castroville, Hills Ferry, Fort Bidwell.
! MERGED, Shasta, Anderson, Rocklin, Sauce
| Ito, Lemoore, Calico, Angels Camp, lone,
Modesto and other places showing q very
general tendency to these complaints.
| Cholera iDfantum likewise prevails gen.
orally among young children, but has not
attained that degree of fatality so usual
later in the season.
Measles prevail to limited extent in
Sacramento, Cloverdale, Hills Ferry, Max
well, Nicolaus, Modesto, Anderson and
| Susanville.
| Scarlet fever still manifests itself in Mo-
doc county, Pomona, Truckee, Sierra City,
| Anaheim, Los Angeles Susanyille, Elk
Grove, Oakland and Stockton. The type
is very mild as declared by the limited
mortality.
Diphtheria is reported as prevailing in
| San Francisco, and as present in Salinas
City, Hills Ferry, Fort Bidwell, Etna
Mills, Santa Cruz Anderson, Liyermore,
| Truckee, Petaluma and Los Gatos.
| Erysipelas has also been noticed as ap-
pearing in Salinas. Hills Ferry, Maxwell,
Santa Cruz, Millville, Livermore, Willis,
Dansyille, Angels Camp, Truckee, Lincoln
and Lemoore. What relation this disease
bears to diphtheria and scarlet fever has
not yet been determined, but every pre-
caution taken with the one should be taken
with the other to isolate and prevent its
| spread.
| Typhoid fever does not seem to prevail
anywhere in the State, which indicates a
| fair sanitary condition. A few cases have
been noticed in Modesto. MERGED and Igo.
| Typo-malarial fever has also been OBJ
| served, in limited number of cases, in
Anderson. Lincoln, lone and Anaheim.
| Remittent and intermittent fevers are
noticed as prevailing in many places, which
might be expected as the rivers recede and
the ponds dry up. Their fatality is ex-
ceedingly limited.
- Cerebral fever is mentioned in many re-
ports, and noticed in Mariposa, Davisville,
st. Helena, Modesto Fort Bidwell, Elk
| Grove and Watsonvile.
Sporadic cases of pneumonia have oc-
CURED in MERGED, Martinez, Cottonwood,
Red Bluff, Visalia and Truckee.
From the above abstract it will be seen
| that the general health of the State is good.
1t must be borne in mind that as the sum-
mer advances the dangers from drinking
impure water are enhanced; and in those
| plac where water is procured from wells,
the chances of contamination by surface
drainage are manifoldly increased. 1t
should also be generally known that the
| discharges from those suffering from dysen-
terry are infectious, and if admitted into
our drinking water will in all probability
communicate the disease.
| nrop ~, and GOO tho snacial lot We have