Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1898-09-24
RAVAGES OF OLD SOL.
HIS SCORCHiNC RICHNESS
HAS A BLACK RECORD.


- II
10 resul, n tie future saving OF many
human lives each year from Old Soils
fatal sumner harvest Il may be sur
prisIng. bur il Is nevertheless true that
no one Yet knows the exact ueleoro-
Logical and physiological and psyche
logical Conditions which cause heat
stroke and sHnstroke When the
weather bureaus important inFestiga-
ton has been completed IL may De
possible 70 forecast sunstroke epidem-
les Interesting data is being collect
ed from hospitals and individual ply
sicians in practically every locality o.
the United States. Dates and loca-
tons Of cases are being reported and
the weather maps and usual data col
lected BY the bureau are being studied
In connection Herewith. writes J. Z.
Watkins from Washington.
1t is all very veil TO say that hot
weather is the primary cause OF sun
and heat stroke. This means nothing
to the weather sharps who are prying
into the problem There are many
other conditions which go TO make hot
weather then simply q high tempera-
lure as shown by the Thermometer.
There are atmospheric moisture ana
pressure, wind velocity, electrostatic.
potential sunshine. etc. The old no.
ton was that sunstToke was not like
ly to occur on hot and dry days. but
that hot and moist days were most dan
gerous. Inc statistics so far collected
az the weather bureau do not accord
with this theory. Moisture OF the at
mosphere appears TO have little 10 do
with the case. Moreover, sunstroEes
are very rare upon the sea, where the
breezes are heavily charged with evap-
Grated water. Another interesting fact
being brought out is that every locality
has its local sunstroke temperature.
People in Boston, for instance, can
not endure nearly so high an average
daily temperature as those OF New Or
leans man, native OF Boston and
aeclimated there, however, would prob
ably De as sensitive TO heat in New
orleans as he would in Boston. AS
Is well known, physicians have beIfsy-
ed that some relationship exists be-
tween sEnstroke and the use Of aIco-
hol- Data on this point is being col
lected. Eighty per cent Of the cases
and 80 per cent Of the deaths whose
history as 10 the use of alcohol is
known, are Of persons Who drank mod
erately Or in excess. Dr.. W. F. r
PHILIPS In charge OF the sunstroke
investigation. says that We feel heat
Or cold more aeuteIy when the atmos-
phere Is relatively damp. Il is oues-
hon whether this is not due alone to
the .aet that moist skin is more sen
sitiYe to touch than a dry one. Sun
strokes are not due 70 sudden rises Of
temperature lasting a short while ONLY.
but 20 continuous hot weather. DIR.
Phillips says the human body can stand
very hot atmospheres for a short time
An expeTimenter in Europe has placed
men in an oven and subjected them IN
temperatures OF air as high as 2s0 de-
gTees Fahrenheit. In such an euor-
nous temperature as this, however,
they we're allowed to remain but a
very few minutes. In order to produce
a sunstroke epidemic the nights as well
as the days must be hot Hot DAYS fol-
lowed by comparatively cool nights are
not dangerous. nor are brief SPELLS of
intensely hot weather with Intervening
days Of cool. Further, sunstroke seems
to become epidemic when the mean
temperature of the day or OF several
consecutive days rises as high or near
~ as high az the normal maximum
temperature for the same period. New
data being collected is constantly add
ing to or reducing the weight Of these
conclusions. There is a raft of new
scientific literature on the subject ri
sunstroke. Much attention is lust now
being paid to the effect Of hot weather
upon the brain. For experimental pur.
poses heat has been concentrated upon
mems skulls, and such uncomfortable
experiments have shown that in a
hot temperature the blood vessels o,
the underlying brain expand. CAUSING
the head TO fill with blood. Just he.
fore sunstroke the blood leaves tbs
vessels at the surface of the bodv anf
flows to the interior organs. INCLUDING
the brain and spinal cord. The brair
has greater capacity for blood thar
any Of the others. Therefore syncon.
or loss of consciousness results. The
blood must be Immediately expelled
from the nerve centers. The latest de-
vice for accomplishing this is long
narrow rubber bag, 22x4 inches. filled
with powdered ice applied to the bach
along the spinal column from tn,
shoulder blades to the waist. At fbe
saIne time hot-water bags are appliet
to the hands, feet and general sur
face of the skin. The heart is mean.
while stimulated by hypodermic in
jections. Application Of cold to tn,
spine is now recommended by gooe
authorities for those who suffer gener
ally from hot weather or who hav,
previously had sunstroke. A double
columned hot-water bag is sometimes
applied to the back OF the neck t
stimulate the ganglia and cause thu
arteries of the brain to contract. Ic,
is also applied to the head and anti
pyrine internally. All of this is tn
very latest treatment. Elaborate ex
nariments lately made in Franco fpdi