Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-06-07
TREATMENT OF suN.srRokE.
Valuable Hints Given by Prominent
American Physician.

American Physician.
In his opening remarks DR.. Mitchell
said: There are two distinct vari-
cites of sun-stroke, but we recognize
one, the common, which takes the
form of an intense fever. The other
presents exactly the opposite condi-
ton, though arising from the same
cause. 1t is called heat exhaustion.
This condition is essentially the same
as that called collapse. 1t attacks
strong and weak indiscriminately.
The attack is generally sudden, and
with little or no warning the patient
becomes unconscious, incapable of
speech or movement, or mutters in in
coherent phrases; he is pale, is skin is
cold to the touch and covered with
profuse cold sweat. E5en his breath
feels cold to hand held lefore his
mouth. His pulse at the wrist is very
fast and feeble and he can not be
reused enough to reply intelligently.
The situation is almost the exact con-
trary of that in sun-stroke proper. as we
frequently see, hence the treatment
must be different 1t is easy to see
what is needed. The patient is too
cold. the natural heat of the body
which is the condition of the pro-
per working of all the functions
is lost, and first we must restore
that. Put him in hot bath to help
bring back the normal heat by exter-
nal warmth. Let the water be of atem-
perature of 100 degrees or more, and
and keep the waterat this temperature
by pouring in more hot water. Keep
him there until his own temperature
has been restored to its natural stand
ard. which is 984 degrees. If you have
no means to ascertain the patients
temperature let him remain in the
water for about half an hour, unless he
becomes conscious and intelligent
sooner. Secondly, his heart is too
fast and not strong enough and some
thing must be given to strengthen it,
the most convenient article being alco-
hol, whisky or brandy. Give table,
spoonful in about as much water and
repeat it about three times at short in
tervals.
"Thermic fever" or heat fever"
is always from exposure to heat in some
form. The principal sufferers are those
who use strong drink, habitually,
white men more than negroes, and men
more than women. The varieties Of
thermic fever differ in degree, but moi
much in kind. They range from severe
headaches or dizziness to inflamma-
ton of the brain itself, with convul.
sions and death in its train. The mind
confused, more or less headache with
some fever, all of these are the ordi
nary symptoms of these slight sun
strokes, and they may be treated as
have suggested, giving, too, little
bromide of potash, about twenty Of
twenty-five grains.
Most cases are more marked. Tit
face is greatly flushed, eyes bloodshot
breathing deep and noisy, the pulls
very fast and commissions often accom-
panying the attack. This last is tn
most important sign. The patien
should be rubbed down with ice an(
cold water should be poured owe
him until his temperature is reduces
to 100 degrees, when he should be pu
to bed.
Apoplexy or epileptic fits, oftel
mistaken for sunstroke, are general,
without commissions and without fever
Opium poisoning comes on slowly ant
when found the patients eyes ar
shrunken, the breathing is REMARKABLE
slow, with long, deep respirations
and they have often to be treated il
the most brutal manner-rubbed wit
wire brush or whipped with a we
towel to keep them moving SO as t
keep up breathing.
To avoid sun-stroke. avoid eatin
very much meat, eat plenty of vege
tables, keep the skin clean, battle fire
quently and keep as cool as possible. =
Philadelphia Press.