Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-08-19
SEA SICKNESS.
The Doctor Tells of the Causes
for It.
Both the Brain and the Stomach Combine 10
Cause Trouble.

why describe ltI TO those WHO nave
| ever reached that cold ana pallid stage
Of sea sickness. when they merely re-
! GREETED that ii was not fatal. words
would mean little as against the mem
DRY: and those who fear they shall not
recognize Ii when 1t comes my set their
minds at rest; ii is a self diagnosing
/ disease.
The Journal was talking about the
more or less impending international
yacht races with doctor the other
day. and We were recalling the last
one to witness which We both Went
down to the sea in boats-and both
We're We're sea-sick.
What Is sea- sickness. anyway:
the Journal asked.
Merely nervous disease" aid the
doctor.
NO" ~ said. On the level. just
! what is lt?"
Just what l told you-a nervous ma
lady. II Is another case 81 the newt
able pneumogastriC nerve indicating the
inner man to riot and revolution That
seems TO be the Office Of this nerve
| But about sea-siCkneSS: what makes
a man sea-sick-or "A woman
| You know tina brain rests on a wa
| ter cushion said the doctor; that il
is not rigidly anchored like the liver"
| When we had confessed our ignorance
| he continued: We'll. the brain is a
movable organ: this renders it less
liable 10 injury by conclusion. You
| know. too. how very movable are the
spine and spinal cord. and also that the
stomach is endowed, not alone with
some degree Of free play. but with
muscles that are partly under. control Of
the will. You can. at times. you know
SUPPRESS prma facie evidence of sea-
i sickness. These semi-Voluntary mus
Giles are controlled by the pneumogas-
trio nerve. and this nerve has the pecu-
liarity of being subject to irritation at
both ends both at the brain end and at
the tilaments that enlaCe the stomach.
Now continued the doctor. prob
ably YOU know somebody who turns
sick on riding backwards in a railroad
car? Sea sickness may be caused
either by unaccustomed motion or by
the mere sight OF it, or of course. by
| both. You may be affected through
one or all of four different ways:
| through the brain by way of the spinal
cord, through the brain by way Of the
pneumogaStric nerve. through the
| spinal cord direct to the stomach con-
trolling abdominal muscles. and lastly.
through the stomach by the pneumo-
gastric to the brain and back again. In
each case the trouble is due to unusual
| movements of the organ and to the
consequent congestion of blood in its
local capillaries, as the small blood YES
| sells are known.
In the case of sea sickness caused
| merely by the sight Of motion. the
brain is the part first affected: motion
and the sense of motion are the same
thing there: and the blood. gathering
TO repair the waste. swels the vessels
so that they press upon the roots Of
the nerves in the brain. irritating par
ticularly the pneumogastric. and
through that CONFUSING the stomach
and other abdominal organs
Then that explains the nausea that
often attends us in a great emotional
crisis ?" said the Journal
Exactly" said the doctor and was
content to let him proceed
In the case of sickness produced by
actual moving of the brain. both the
spinal cord and pneumogastric are in
| volved: the spinal cord first and most
| severely. since it is itself a continue
| ton of the brain matter. and really
senses any motion there. Through
| this irritation of the cords nerve
branches, the abdominal muscles which
| attach themselves on and near the
| stomach are made to contract much
| in the same way as one may make a
| pug dog move his hind leg by scratch
| ing certain spot in his back. Thus
! the stomach itself is irritated, the of
| hclouS dOuble-ended pneumogaStric
thinks there is trouble and-you are
sea sick.
| "A similar process is followed when
, the spinal cord itself is the first to feel
| the untoward motion caused by the
| pitching and rolling of the ship.
When the stomach feels the motion
| independently. the pneumogastric's pc
culiarity of acting under orders from
either end of the line is observed in all
its loneliness. You see the pneumogas-
tric is in it on every deal"
Il don't suppose the Journal broke
in. that seasick person cares partic-
ularly which of the four ways is re-
sponsible for the unholy condition. Of
course" we added, hastily. under the
doctors plying eye, I'VE don't know
how it feels when mans a scientist. ,
of course not; ''but"-we paused.
Was this leading question?-'Is there
Il cure or remedy
Certainly there is he returned in a
bored sort of way, 'Charman's ice
bags"
What"
ice bags-little thin rubber bags fill
ed with cracked ice-you can hang EN-