The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-07-15

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 Dr. Thomas L. Shearer in defining sunstroke yesterday, said: When a person, previously without any fever, during hot weather or when exposed to artificial heat in excess, is attacked by inconsistencies. cOnyulsiOns or very high fever. he is probably suffering from therm.c fever or heatstrOke. Symptoms like these might be caused by hemorrhage in the neighborhood of the base of the brain, but this is very rare.
 Fever in sunstroke may rise as high as 110 degrees or 112 degrees, or even higher. The symptoms may be hot, dry, or sometimes cold, moist skin, with precipitation. Sometimes instead of high fever you get a sub-nOrmal tenn perature. In this form of heatstroke- the term applied is heat exhaustion, since in place of fever condition of collapse is present.
 Tn cases where the symptoms are a hot. dry skin the first effort should al- ways be to reduce the temperature as soon as possible. This may be done by placing the patient in a bath of 70 de- grees or by rubbing the body all over with ice or even placing the patient in an ice pack. When asphyxia is threat ened blood letting may be necessary.
 Tn cases of heat exhaustion. when the temperature is sub-normal, stimu- lants should be freely given, and aro- matic spirits of ammonia may be of | Tn flncn the exterior of the body may be, the temperature of the interior will be found to be high.
 Since Baltimore. continued Dr. Shearer, "may be now considered tropi- cal for at least one-fourth of the year, the people will inevitably in time realize that they must adopt safeguards and customs long since accepted in such hot countries as East India.
 "One of the most important precau- tions Is the protection of head and spine from the direct rays of the sun. The straw hats worn by Baltimore men are practically of no protective value. In India all helmets are of pith or cork, with ventilation in the crown for free circulation of air. The hat itself IS fairly thick, thus obstructing the suns rays.
 Lord Kitchener in his late campaign against the dervishes in the African desert equipped his soldiers not only with helmets, but with scarfs of some thick white material attached to them. These reached almost to the waist, very materially protecting the spine from di- rect sun rays.
 "The clothing worn by Baltimore men during the summer months is absolutely unsuited. If linen suits were generally adopted they would be found more healthful, more comfortable, less expen- sive and more durable than the cloth ing now worn.
 ''The excessive use of stimulants is conducive to heatstroke. Even iced drinks of as harmless a nature as wa ter invites sunstroke if taken in large quantities during the rush and hustle of business activity.
 Finally, 1t Is necessary that people should remain indoors between the hours of 12 and 5, when the suns rays are apt to do most damage. Since busi- ness activities must continue, people of all classes should rise earlier, work un- til noon, and if necessary resume work after o'clock This would be entirely feasible, since daylight continues long after that hour"
 Tt is a long time" said Dr. J. D. Igle- hart, since I have been asked to de- fine the difference between what is termed heat prostration and sunstroke.
 Heat prostration occurs when per- son in weak and debilitated condition succumbs to the extra nervous, and physical strain caused by extremely hot weather and falls in the street from ex- haustion. In heat prostration the pa tient does not lose consciousness and ther are no lasting i'll effects. As all the vital forces are exhausted stimulants should be administered as quickly as possible. Such prostration rarely oc- CUTS save out of doors.
 "Sunstroke may occur indoors or out, in a kitchen or factory as readily as in the street, and from heat artificially in- duced or from solar sources. It usually attacks the strong instead of the weak and unconsciousness Is the first symp- tom, coming generally, believe. before the persons falls. The brain becomes suddenly excessively charged with blood and unconsciousness follows.
 "The effects of sunstroke are usually life long. Any recurrence of the same condition of atmosphere is apt to pro- duce an attack of the same nature. One of the most skillful workers in brass whom I know was sunstruck several years ago. From the first warm days until fall he Is now unable to do a stroke of work and spends the hottest days in cellar. A heated atmosphere at once produces fainting spell.
 "The treatment for sunstroke should until the temperature is reduced.
 gro avoid either ailment in hot weather only the most cooling foods should be used and less food should be eaten than during the cool weather. Very, very little meat should be indulg- ed in even by the laboring classes. Oat- meal, which is most eating, should be abandoned for more cooling cereals and these should form the substitute for meat. Vegetables and fruits should be eaten in abundance, but the iced drinks, alcoholic and otherwise, which are pour ed into the stomach until the system is simply flooded with water is highly conducive to sunstroke. If vegetables, fruits and cereals form the chief diet there is far less thirst than when meat is eaten in any quantity. ."--Baltimore