Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-06-28
SEASICKNESS.
Rules That Make 1t Possible to Avoid
This Disease.

has novel ideas on What to Do win
Seasickness," which are set forth IN
tho Medical Record. His competency
"a speak upon this subject arises, ne
GAYS from the fact that the first two
and half years of his professional
career were spent as medical ofilcer
upon ocean steamships. He has written
A prize essay and a pamphlet on the
eubiect besides q book. He says
Make no preparation calculated to
avoid seasickness. Continue in your
usual ways. A steamer chair will
nrove a desirable convenience If the
VOYAGE is to be long, and the. weather
proves good.
"Get on board half an hour before
calling. get your cabin and small lug
gage arranged to suit you, and have
nothing to do but take care of your
self after the ship starts.
"Shoes should be warm, comfortable
and easily put on or off. Besides being
comfortable have all clothing as con-
yenient as practicable for dressing and
undressing.
Rooms amidships are preferable
Avoid the extreme ends of the ship.
Good facilities for ventilation are
necessary.
strive to have the air inside of the
room about as good as outside, even
when YOU are in it; do at least the best
Won can in the circumstances toward
this end Two sufficiently large open
ings to the room are necessary. Good,
clean. fresh air is of the greatest i'm
portance to the susceptible passenger.
There is no danger from draughts.
Second hand air is a factor in the
causation of seasickness.
weather and condition of health
permitting, stay on deck much of the
time in a steamer chair, in semi-re-
cumbent position, comfortably covered
and eyes closed.
Anywhere on ship, in berth or chair.
keep the eyes closed during the day
time with exceptions of short duration
until immunity from optical vertigo is
acquired Thus you will exclude
optical vertigo by which is meant that
dizziness and nausea which are often
consequent on the continued observa-
ton Of unusual relations among our
environs, and between them and our
selves.
whenever the slightest sensation of
illness Is ItIl. he uON IL DIT Olltc anu
close the eyes. Use only one pillow,
or if sick, or it seems likely that you
will be. have the head even below the
level of the body with no pillow for
awhile | have seen the pillow make
all the difference in the world between
great misery. and almost absolute COM
fort Steamship motion can be analysed
into twenty-six different factors. 1t is
therefore. complicated. and. of course,
incomprchensibc at first. The many
variations occur to the passenger un-
awares His animal mechanism cannot
adjust itself to them. because he can
not at first foreknoW them. The case
becomes much like that Of going up or
down stairs in the dark and finding
one sten more or less than was eX
pected. The variations not being adj
justed TO, because not forcknOWn, vio
lence Of some kind is the result. The
disturbances occur in continued
series, each slight. but the series re
suits in an accumulated sum Of VIC
lencc which we call seasickness.
What is first disturbed i'll animal
mechanism is the nervous system,
which controls the circulation Of the
blood and. as a result, the circulation
itself must of course be disturbed. The
first important result is a relaxation
of the blood vessels in the abdominal
cavity; these vessels having much less
outside support than those that ira
verse muscular tissue.
The second effect is the gravitation
of blood into the relaxed vessels, thus
permitting the occurrence of Il de-
ficiency in the brain. One result of this
deficiency in the brain is the sensation
called nausea. This mechanical de-
ficiency of blood in the brain, with its
corresponding sensation nausea.) is to
be avoided when observed to be ap-
preaching and corrected when already
present. by lying down with the head
no higher than the body. If the patient
does not lie down promptly. retching
will take place. Retchinr is nature, $
method Of flooding the brain with
blood ny squeezing the contents Of the
abdominal cavity in such a manner as
70 force upward some of the excess Of
blood contained in its relaxed vessels
The regurgitation Of food or tluIds
from the stomach is merely incidental.
and not essential. The stomach has
nothing to do with seasickncss, except
to BE- implicated incidentally and acct
dentally
by the time 4 patient has been sea
sick two or three days and his forces.
regardless of his consent. have been
drawn upon heavily by many hours OF
retching. ana having meanwhile. Of
course. not prpiitcd by anything swal-
lowed lie will he suffering from pow
erty OF blood. The sense of hunger
will be obScurcd by the nausea.
Even while lying down, Il suscop-
thle passenger will not cscap" ScaSlck-
ness if his blood becomes impoverished
in respect to nutritive material; ana
having been scasick. he cannot recover
while his blood remains 50 impoV"r-
ishcd. To prevent seasickncss one
must Keep his blood saturated Will
nutritye material. To recover from
seasickness one must saturate his BLOOD
with nutr,tivc material. For this pur-
pose one must cat ana if unable to cal
enough at time. he must eat oftcner
10 eat seven times 4 day IS abou'
right; the three regular meals, ten {
hftocn minutes before rising. halfway
between meals ANA at bedtime.
"Alwa.-f eat ana drink AT least ter
minutes before rising in the morning