Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1898-08-26
.RAVAGES OF OLD SOL.
HIS SCORCHiNG RICHNESS
HAS A BLACK RECORD.
Scientists OF the Weather Bureau In
vestigat;.s Him-Sunstrokes and Their
manifestations and Dangers - Has
Much to .cswer For.


is just now engaged in an investigation
to result in the future saving of many
ihuman lives each year from Old Soils
fatal summer harvest. 1t may be sur
prising, but IL is nevertheless true that
no one yet knows the exact meteOrO-
logical aud physiological and psyche
logical conditions which cause heat
stroke and sunstroke. When the
weather bureaus important investiga-
ton has been completed i may be
possible TO forecast Sunstroke epidem-
les. Interesting lata is being collect
ed from hospitals and individual ply
sicians i'll practically every locality OF
the United States. Dates and loca-
lions 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. f.
Watkins from Washington.
1t is all very well to say that hot
'Weather' is the primary cause of sun
and heat stroke. This means nothing
10 the weather sharps who are prying
into the problem. There are many
weathes then simply a high tempera-
ture "a shown by the thermometer
There are atmospheric moisture and
pressure, aini velocity electrostattc.
potential, sunshine. etc The old no.
ton was that sunstroke was not like
ly to occur on hot and dry days, but
that hot and moist days were most dan
gerOuS The statistics so far collected
at the weather bureau do not accord
with this Cheory. Moisture of the at
mosphere appears to have little to do
with the case. Moreover. sunstrokes
are very rare Upon the sea, where the
Dreezes are heavily charged with eyap-
GRATED water. An0ther interesting fact
being brought out IS that every locality
mas It's Local SunStrOke temperature
People IN Boston. for instance. can
not endure nearly so high an average
daily temperature a, those OF New Or
leans. A man. native OF Boston and
accllmated there. however. would prob
ably be as sensitive to heat in New
Orleans as ne would in Boston. As
is we'll known. physicians have believ-
ed that some relationship exists be-
tween sGnStrOke ana the use OF alco-
Aoi. Data or this point is being col
lected. Eighty per cent of the cases
and 90 per cen. of the deaths whose
history as 10 tie Use of alcohol is
known. are Of persons who drank mod
erately or IN excess. Dr. w. f r
Phillips. in charge of the sunstroke
Investigation. says that We feel heat
or cold more lcutely when the atmOs-
phere l. relatively damp. 1t is a cues
ton whether his is not due alone TO
the tact that i moist skin is more sem
sitive 20 togca than a dry one. Sun
strokes are lot due 10 sudden rises OF
temperature lasting a short while only.
but to continuous hot weather. DR..
Phillips SAYS the human body can stand
very hot atmospheres for a short time
An experiments: in Europe has placed
men in an oven and subjected them 10
temperatures OF air as high as go de-
grees Fahrenheit. In such an enOr-
nous temperature as this. however.
they were allowed 70 remain but a
very few mlnutes. In order TO produce
a sunstroke epidemic the nights as we'll
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 or cool. Further sunstroke seems
to become epidemic when the mean
temperature of he day or of several
consecutive days rises as high or near
Ky as high as the normal maximum
temperature Tor 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 Of
sunstroke. Much attention is Just now
being paid 20 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 OF
the underlying brain expand. causing
the head TO fill with blood. JUST he
fore a SunstrOke the blood leaves the
vessels at the surface OF the body and
flows to the interior organs. including
the brain and spinal cord. The brain
has a greater capacity for blood than
any Of the others. Therefore syncope
or loss of consciousness results. The
blood must be Immediately expelled
from the nerve centers. The latest de-
vice for accomplishing this is a long.
narrow rubber bag. 22x4 inches filed
with powdered ice applied to the back
along the spinal column from the
shoulder blades to the waist At the
same time hot-water bags are applied
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 the
spine is now recommended by good
authorities for those who suffer gener-
ally from hot weather or who have
previously had sunstroke. double
columned hot-water bag is sometimes
applied to the back of the neck to
stimulate the ganglia and cause the
arteries of the brain to contract Ice
is also applied to the head and anti
MT Of - ho