New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-22
INVESTIGATING SUNSTROKES.
DIR. VAN GIEsENs DISCOVERIES AND WHAT
THEY MAY LEAD TO.

DR.. VAN GIEsENS DISCOVERIES AND WHAT
THEY MAY LEAD TO.
Dr. Ira T. Van Giesen. director of the State Patho-
logical Institute has lately been carrying on series
Of experiments to discover the nature Of the condl
lions under which men are placed when suffering
from sunstroke. The recent hot wave that passed
over this city has furnished abundant opportunity
for these Investigations. and the doctor mas peen
sufficiently successful in his work to assure himself
that sunsroke is in It's nature auotoxic, or caused
in a large degree by conditions that prevail In the
system Of the patient. While the experiments carried
on have been by no means as complete as III van
Gie,en could have wished they have been, IN MS
opinion extremely valuable in their results % ihuch
progress has been made that the doctor said yeser-
day that thought it possible that In the future II
miyht be feasible to take measures for preventing
sunstroke by administering drugs to couhteract inc
effects of the poison that favors sunsroke but whose
nature or properties have not yet been definitely set
tied.
DR. Van Giesen was impeed to take up the study
OF sunstroke primarily because the PatnoIoScal IN
s,itute was established for the investigation OF IN
sanity on the physical basis and because it had been
observed that many Of sunstroke finally ended
by bringing the patients TO the wards or the insane
asylums.
norter. I'VE do not claim of course, TO have FOUND
tho cause of sunstroke. Ii is plain enough that
heat causes the disease. But we believe that the
presence Of certain posons In the system makes d
man more liable the evil effects Of the heat ms
noison s not we'll understood yet, and the prob
Ie 10 to acouaint ourselves with its nature In our
ovneriments we have examined the urine Of pa
TENTS suffering from sunstroke and have also In
iected il into rabbits In every case it has been
found to be less toxic than In normal cases. Inc
urine from patlents suffering from sunstroke can
be injected into lower animals much more freeiy
than the urine from a normal man. This or
course. conforms to the acknowledged principle
that in cases where poisonous substances are circu-
1otne IN the system the secretive glands fail to do
their work properly, and allow noxious elements to
remain in the blood, which under normal clrcum-
stances would be excreted
Acting upon these premises, we sought for the
bro-spinal fluids. With these huids we in9cuated
several ra bbits of which died so quickly that
their symptoms could not be observed. In others
rapid rise in temperature was observed ana all OF
them died in cOnvulsionS
This experiment was the one that seemed to prove
most concusiNely the truth Of the theory upon
their they took greater pains. They
,,attrd i'm some cases. until the sufferer from sun
stroke was well the road 10 recovery, and then
taking urine from him. lnocuated rabbits with the
lined ts toxic properties thus showing that the
Srpans Of the patient We're again performing their |
proper functions The majority OF the patients who
did nor recover were those who had been addicted |
no rse of alcoholic liquors. and their liVerS
tjdnevs we're generally in such diseased condition
as 10 make impossible 10 rid themselves of the
To- ic sccrctOns.
~ Alexander Lambert and Or. Levin were much |
irterosted i'm the experiments that We're carried on
~ eoch Of these physicians did large part Of the
work necessary in order 10 arrive at any salts
foo,or, results The experiments are by no means |
hui Or. Van Gieser is much encouraged
nv the results already achieved.