The record-union., 1897-08-15
WHY WE SILVER.
DR.. Spitzka's Explanation of the
Phenomenon.

A communication was received at the
Office of the New York Times the
other day, asking the reason why per-
sons are affected with shivering by
cold, and what animal mechanism pro-
duces the unpleasant phenomenon. DR..
Edward G. Spitzka, the neurologist,
consented to give his explanation of the
matter, which is as follows: "A chill
is due to the sudden contraction of the
blood vessels of the skin, and when it
is of very high degree the muscular
fibers of the skin themselves contract,
causing that prominence of the payil-
lac which is familiarly known as goose
flesh, or, in Germany and France, goose
skin.
The nerves which control these
muscles are themselves under the con-
troll Of nerve centers in the brain axis
that is, near the base of the brain,
and this accounts for the fact that the
appearance of a chill can be produced
both by external causes, like a sudden
lowering of the temperature, and inter-
nal causes, acting directly OH the brain,
such as emotions, known as nervous
chills; medicine, circulating in the
blood Of the brain, like antipyrin, and
blood poisons, such as malaria and
other fevers.
In limited diseases of the crura, and
upper part of the pons Varoli, exquisite
chills have been observed by me, 50
familiar to the typical chills occurring
in catching cold,' or initial to an at
tack of intermitten fever, and in some
cases 50 closely followed by an appar-
ent fever, that a mistake in diagnosis
had been made more than once. 1t is
in and near the same region that the
sweat center is located, and it oyerlaps
the So-called 'convulsive' center The
theory of a chill, occurring at the out
break of a disease, is this: That in the
nerve centers an irritation causes a
contraction Of the blood vessels of the
skim and since the blood is the heat
carrier, an insufficient volume of heat
is sent to the skin. Hence, the SUBJ
jective feeling of cold, and the real
coldness of the skin to the touch of
the bystander. At the same time, the
deeper heat of the body may be far
above the normal. Usually this spasm
of the blood vessels is followed by a
relaxation, and a large amount of blood
is sent to the skin, and if larger than
normal, the skin becomes hotter than
normal.
Now what is the cause of chill?
I do not agree with those that think
every phenomenon of animal life marks
a definite purpose, but l do believe that
a chill is like sneezing, a reflex act,
and notifying the nerve centers of the
need of more blood to be sent to the
skin. 1t is an exaggeration of the same
IL fo
selves our surface temperature is reg
ulated by the thermal center in the
brain, in response to the requirements
or our environment. This center al
lows q large amount of blood to flow
to the skin when the external temper
ature is cold.
THE enormous range of temperature
difference which this ceaselessly active
center controls can be inferred from
the fact that the same individual has
been able to endure the extreme Arctic
temperatures, when the air was dry,
with comparative comfort and that of
tropical regions. But the range must
not be too sudden. The law of rela-
tivity governs this mechanism. Nan
sen endured a temperature of minus
80 degrees centrigrade, about 76 de-
grees Fahrenheit below zero, in furs,
without great discomfort; but when, re-
turning from the trip, they reached the
temperature of zero, centigrade, or one
or two degrees below it, his party were
compelled to throw off all their cloth
ing They had become so accommo-
dated to the warmer temperature.
Now if, instead of this gradual
change of temperature mo matter how
extreme, SO long as it is graduaD. a
great fall occurs in so short a period
of time as to be practically sudden, the
outposts of the heat regulating center,
situated in the skin itself, are sur
prised, and the center in what may be
called the shock of self-defense, is over
stimulated. A sudden contraction of
the blood vessels results and all the
appearances of the chill which are fa-
miliar. If it reaches very high de-
gree, the muscles under the control Of
the viii, or voluntary muscles, are
affected, and then we have the chat
tering of the teeth and the shivering of
the body.
when the elastic fibers which sur
round the blood vessels are over con-
tracted, for a time, as in the case l
have mentioned, reaction occurs, some
what on the plan of the rubber band
which has been oyerstretched and
which, being let so, overshoots the
mark So we get the opposite extreme
or distention of the blood vessels be-
yond the normal, and this is readily
remedial if it occurs promptly enough.
Otherwise we have congestion of the
internal organs and the ordinary re-
suits of a cold"