Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-07-03
PHASES OF DESERT THIRST.
Terrible Experience Of Man Lost In
Waterless Wastes of the Southwest.

Terrible Experience Of Man Lost In
Waterless Wastes of the Southwest.
OF the three types into which thirst
as a pathologic condition has been
grouped that of the desert is most
purely the deprivation Of moisture
without the influence of modifying ex-
ternal circumstances. That form
known as ordinary thirst occurs under
the favorable surroundings Of humid
air and often protection from the sun.
Sea thirst is also under the influence
of air heavily charged with vapori with
plenty Of water, though on-drinkable,
at hand, and Is modified by the pres
ence of salts externally.
In cases Of desert thirst, water, even
as a vapor. is entirely lacking or
nearly so and the influence Of external
salts Is a minimum. Death from thirst
Is a horror that has many times been
described by onlookers, or, paradox
cally speaking, occasionally by those
who have really suffered its pangs by
going through the various stages until
unconsciousness Is reached but who
happily though rarely, are rescued and
survive.
Never have the phenomena Of ex-
treme thirst been pictured more graph
ically than by w. ]. MCGEE. director
of the st. Louis public museum, In a
paper reporting the remarkable sur
vival of Mexican in southwestern
Arizona. This man was in the desert
eight days and nights with only one
days supply of water. During that
time he rode in the saddle thirty-five
miles and walked or crept between 100
and $50 miles.
For seven days he was entirely with
out water AS a result Of the depriva-
tion the man lost one-fourth his body
weight An extraordinary feature was
the lack of totally insane delirium
which so commonly is a part Of the
mental condition of these persons. This
allowed him to follow the trail and ac-
counts for his reaching aid, although
his phenomenal physical condition was
the real cause Of survival.
The case recorded by DR.. MCGEE was
most unusual In that half Of those dy-
ing from desert thirst perish in thirty
six hours, quarter within forty six or
fifty hours and all others Of which the
Lit te, hxyf "a afO oh hnIlr
DR.. MCGEE discusses thirst In general
and then in particular desert thirst, the
phenomena Of which he arranges un-
der three stages, normal thirst, func-
tional arrangement and structural de-
generation.
Making up these stages are five
phases, most Of them descriptively
named by survivors and well-known to
those who frequent the desert, name
ly, the clamorous, cotton mouth phase,
the shrivelled tongue the blood sweat
and the living death. The first phase
Is relieved by water, or In some In
stances fruit acids or similar sub
stances may be required. Thirst In
the second phase Is best relieved by
water taken by quarts in small sips
and thrown over the body In quanti-
ties. Persons in the third phase also
require water by gallons. inside and
out, but cautiously applied. Usually
In addition a febrifuge should be CIV
en-, and in some cases a heart tonic
also is indicated. Little Of value may
he possible for those in the fourth
phase. Water may be a damage. II
physical recovery does occur the men,
tai condition may never clear.
In the final phase there is no ale
Walton but the end. Fortunately this
appears often to be painless. Dr. Nc
Gee has spent a great deal Of time In
the deserts of the southwest and has
himself gone half through the stages
of desert thirst, and is thus personally
we'll qualified to speak upon the SUBJ
ject-American Medicine.