The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-09-01
CAUSES OF SUNSTROKE.
The Strict Meaning Of the Com
mon Term Defined
ordinary Beat Prostitution Not Dangsr.
ous-Heroic Treatment Necessary In
Acute Cases How the vital
OrGNaS Are Affected.

Judging from the ssewspaper rere:ti
of a few years ago as compared with
| those of the last season or two, it would
seem as if there had been a marked de
crease in the number of sunstroke cases
in this city. While it is perhaps true
that there has been some improvement
owing to the cooler dress and more sen.
sible habits Of eating of many people
there is another and a different explana-
ton of the apparent gain in this direc-
ton.
Until recently the word "sunstroke''
has been used TO cover a multitude ol
ailments to which it could not properly
be applied. This is still true to large
extent among people in general. but
much greater care Is now exercised in
the formal reports of cases of sudden
illness in summer due directly or in
directly to the heat, but not necessarily
these were classed rather indiscrimi-
nately under the latter familiar head /:
hence the long lists in the papers which
are not seen to-day.
Real sunstroke or "insolation," to use
the medical term, is q rare thing. AT the
Hudson street hospital, which, owing to
its location in a crowded part of the
downtown district, receives more cases
of the sort than any other in the city,
seven patients suffering from actual
sunstroke were received during the sum-
mer Of 1895. Four have been treated
there thus far this season, two of them
within the last few days. At the Cow.
erneur hospital, on the East side, there
have been only two insulation cases
since the warm weather began. 1t Is un.
derstood, of course, that great numbers
of persons suffering more or less from
the effects of the heat are taken to the
hospitals every day. They feel faint and
i'll, and the temperature rises perhaps
two or three degrees above normal, but
they are seldom in dangerous condi-
ton. They have, emphatically, not been
sunstruck, and by no means such Wig
orous restorative methods are used up
on them as upon the real insulation pa
tients.
The condition of the latter is always
extremely critical. If the abnormally
high temperature of 40 or Ill degrees
to which their blood has been heated
cannot be speedily reduced they die
within "a hours after the beginning Of
the attack. The modern heroic treat
ment of plunging sunstroke persons in.
to an icy bath, heaping ice about the
neck and head, and giving them all the
ice water they can drink when they
have partly recovered has been very sue
cessful. So persistent is the fearful
heat of the body that this ice bath has
sometimes to be continued for hours.
Occasionally, though not often, it fails
to effect its purpose Autopsies upon
such patients have shown that the vital
being literally cooked by the intense
fire in the blood.
What is called, in q general way, heat
prostration is not uncommon. 1t may
result from being exposed to high
temperature anywhere, whether from
the symptoms are not dangerous, and
though, if the patient is stricken out
doors, it is commonly said that he has
had sunstroke, the doctors decide diff
ferently when he is brought before
them. People are frequently taken to
the hospitals under the supposition that
they have been overcome by the heat,
when the real trouble is an attack of gas
tritis, acute indigestion or some other
disease.
The causes which predispose to either
sunstroke or heat prOstration are sew
eral. Too heavy clothing and careless
habits of eating and drinking have
great influence. One physician said
day or two ago that the abolition OF the
free-lunch system had wrought a
marked change for the better. The food
offered on such counters, he said, was
nearly always indigestible stuff, and
the beer taken with it in largo quantities
was anything but desirable drink for
q man who was TO work all day under
the hot sun. Alcoholic liquors N gen.
eral are condemned in hot weather, un-
less taken in very limited amounts, it
having been proved that heavy drink
ers are far moro liable than others to
heat prostration.
But in the opinion of some physicians
lack of sleep is a more fruitful cause
than any other of suffering from the
heat.-N. Y. Tribune.