New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-11
TREATING SUNSTROKE.
THE ICE AND COLD WATER BATH AT
THE HOSPITALS.

PITFALLS NEW APPIIANCES-PRECAU-
TIoNs FOR HOT WEATHER
The heat of the last week. having been the
cause of few serious sunstrokes and much
larger number of heat prostrations. has recalled
the terrible weather in August of last year, when
sunstroke became for a time a vertabe cpl
demic. Every season sees a few changes in the
method of treating victims of extreme heat. AS
a rule. these are in the nature Of improved APP
pliances, and are not radical departures from
the general principle of employing cold at once
in some form to reduce the temperature Of
body For extreme cases the ice bath offer
only chance of restoration. This has often been
described and it consists briefly of placing the
patient in a tub filled with water and ice. Cakes
of the ice packed about the body at the
parts which it is most efcacous to cool, such
as the neck the head, and wherever large
arteries run near the surface. Constant friction
is kept up meanwhile by vigorous rubbing OF
the skin of the entire body Without this stmu-
lating action the shock of the sudden cold would
probably XIII the patient. There can be no speci-
fed limit to the duration OF the bath, because
it must be kept up in each case until the VIC
TINS temperature has begun to fall consider
ably and steadily. Sometimes this requires sew
eral hours. and frequently in the worst cases
there is no result from the labor the intense
heat of the body tissues defyng all attempts to
reduce ii by artificial cold
GIVING THE ICE BATH.
The best arrangement in the city Tor giving
the ice bath is that at the Hudson Street Hosp-
tai Its plan is shown in the accompanying
photograph. BY means Of pulleys and
pete lifting apparatus. the patient is lowered in
a hammock below. mechan-
ism admits of moving the body sdewse well
vertically and the fatiguing labor Of
lifting and moving by hand. Last summer the
ice and water put directly into the tub
where it stood. and though when the extreme
amount of cold is required this will probably
have to b, done again in the same way, there
is a arrangement which will serve in many
cases. large tank will be placed on the roof
Of the building and when case arrives this
will be filed with ice and water. A pipe will
lead directly down into the basement where
the ice bath apparatus is. and the height will
afford sufficient power to induce strong flow Of
water 1t is then intended to mix this iced
water with the Croton. because the majority OF
heat prostration cases require nothing more
than an ordinary cold bath. with perhaps an ap-
pcation of ice to the head and neck. The plan
OF spraying the patient which has been found
remarkably effective. will also be adopted being
rendered possible by the pipe arrangement from
the roof
A physician Of this city who has had unusual
opportunities for observing sunstroke. and has
made a special study of the subject. said last
week to Tribune reporter
A DIFFERENCE OF DEGREE
"The difference between sunstroke.' or insoLa
ton. ard heat prostration is not one Of kind; 1t
is only one Of degree. The treatment varies ae-
cording to the severity Of the case. In the
mildest form of heat prostration there is feel
ing of dizziness and weakness and the temper
AZURE goes up perhaps three or four degrees.
The patient ought to lie down in cool place;
have cold applied to the head, and it is well to
take q cold bath When the temperature rises
TO 1O6 or 101 degrees there is good deal Of
danger. and the patient is frequently uncon-
scous but the ice bath will usually bring him
arourd Temperatures above that, ranging from
los to 40 or III degrees, indicate cases which
reouire the most desperate remedies. The vic
tim is always UNCONSCIOUS at 100 degrees or over,
though sometimes the shock of being placed in
the ice bath will restore to consciousness even
at 100 degrees. 1t has always been thought
that no one could live whose temperature had
once risen to 112 or 1l5 degrees but there was
an instance last summer Of a man who recovered
after having reached the extraordinary heat OF
115 degrees To show how high the temper
ature will rise there another case last year
Of a patient who reached HIS degrees. He died
elk hours after being placed in the bath.
"In severe cases of sunstroke the blood act
uallv disintegrates. The waste secretions of the
bodv are not thrown off in the natural manner,
ona ,bev accumulate to poison the system.