River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-09-08
Home Health
4 Club /
By DAVID Il. READER. Phi. D., MD.
La Porte, Ind.
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1
| TEN, their effect on the heat of the
body and in throwing off the toxins
produced in the ordinary physiolosica!
| process.
There are nearly a dozen ways that
| the secretions of the sweat glands Of
/ the skin may be increased many OF
which are very familiar, such as in
crease of temperature of the air sur
rounding the body, increased heart &C
| ton, rise of the temperature of the
blood, or a combination of the two lat
ter, due to exercise. A diluted condi-
ton Of the blood due to excessive
drinking of water is well known to
affect perspiration, while friction or
percussion of the skin has been oh
served by many as stimulating to the
sweat glands. Many drugs known as
diaphoretics, and electric stimulation
of the secretory nerves, will cause in
creased activity of the glands, while
mental excitement and morbid condi-
lions of the system, such as fever,
rheumatism, etc., cause local or gen
eral perspiration. The increased per-
spring in damp atmosphere is prob
ably more apparent than real, per-
son being more conscious of the activ-
ity of the glands because the evapo-
ration of the secretions is retarded by
the moisture in the air.
There are not nearly so many ways
of checking or decreasing the activ-
ity of the sweat glands, but the one
of cold applications to the skin is
known to all. Certain drugs are
known to check the activity, and in
some forms of disease, as paralysis
and diabetes, the same results are OBJ
served. The layman is not so IA
miliar with the fact that the sweat
glands work in a sort of complement
airy manner with the kidneys and bow
els, being active when these organs are
relatively passive and vice versa.
During the warm summer months,
when perspiration is freely exuded,
the function of the kidneys is COM
paratively light, the urine secreted be-
ing very much less than during the
cold winter months, and the skin is
treated through hydrotherapy in
many cases of kidney troubles in a
better manner than those affections
can be otherwise handled.
In the skin are found also the
sebaceous glands which secrete the
fatty oils which keep the hair and
skin in good condition. The secre-
tons of these glands are much affect
ed by heat, as applied through water.
Tx1 Ill oil toe Hxy
the use of water, one of the most i'm
portant effects is that directly pro-
duced on the nervous system. The
skin in that part of the body which
first comes in contact with the eXter-
nal world and imbedded in it are an
enormous number of small nerves
that are connected with and are part
of the central and sympathetic nerv-
Gus systems. Through these small
nerves the sensations of touch and
! temperature are received, while
| through others the motor impulses
are enforced, the glands made active,
and the ordinary responses to exter-
nal stimuli effected Now the tactile
sense. that of touch, is variable, a.
| different places on the body, the varia-
ton being due to location of the
nerves. The pressure sense is very diff
ferent in different areas, the forehead,
Lips, cheeks, temples, back of fingers
and forearm, front of legs being more
sensitive than other parts OF the body.
Hence it will be seen that the same
pressure applied to one area of the
body surface will not produce the
same effect that 1t will if applied to
another, and the consequent reaction
from the same stimulation will be diff
ferent when water is applied to differ
ent parts of the body.
In the sensation of temperature, two
different sets of nerves are involved
one that receives impressions of heat
and one that receives impressions of
cold These nerves are so distributed
in the skin that there are certain
spots where cold sensations only are
perceptible, and others where hot SER
sations only are sensed. Some of the
most interesting effects that can be
produced in the human machine are
the reactions from stimulations Of
these different spots, and it is with
these reactions that nydrotherapy
mostly deals. While these spots are not
sensitive to pain or pressure impress
sions, they may be chemically excited,
the cold spots responding TO the stim-
ulation from menthol, while the hot
| spots respond from carbon dioxid.
Thus it will be seen that an applica-
| ton of these substances to the skin
will produce effects similar to those
Of changes in temperature of the air.
Like the pressure sense, that of
temperature varies in different parts
of the body, the most sensitive areas
being the tips of the fingers, eyelids,
cheeks, lips, neck, arms, back of
hands, palms, legs and back. Some Of
| these will sense variations in tempere-
ture as slight as cne-tenth of de-
gree, and when large areas are sub
| jected to thermal changes the sensa-
ton is of greater intensity than when
small areas are stimulated. Thus,
water in which the whole arm is i'm
mersed feels several degrees warmer
| than water of the same temperature in
which only one finger is immersed. An
other curious effect directly opposed to
| this, is the one produced by suddenly
| pIunging the whole body into cold wa
| ter Here the result is less shock
| ing to the nervous system than where
| the body is slowly immersed, the effect
heing due DrObably to the fact that