Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-13
MICROBE OF SUNSTROKE
LATEST DISEASE THEORY

pressed and uncomfortable seek the shade
at once. II you grow dizzy and see colored
hsnts' seek the shade-and send for
physct So long as YOU are able la walk
| TO shelter unassistcd the danger is siill but
| potential After you have once tainted
your chances OF dying are uncomfortable
| large.
one reason why there arc SO many case.
| or sunstroke IN the United States ever,
| summer lies in the fact that Americans
| nave no proper respect for the summer sum-
In mid-August they insist upon wearing
WOODEN clothes, high collars. thick shoes
| ana heavy hats. and upon taking their daily
| walks and induleing in their usual exercise
| This is decidedly foolish policy. To say
| the least
In the tropics. where high temperatures
| prevail all the year round. the average
white man takes elaborate precautions IL
avoid sunstroke. and in most cases is sue
cessful. He never walks in the sun. and
| all of his exercise is taken in the cool NJ
| the evening
II he has to make journey. even though
| II he one of no more than two city blocks
! he rides. II he feels oppressed h. stops
work at once and rests in some cool place
| "a liz 40 III He hetpS " HIS tpbi ToOil. Anu
| his clothes show that he has the power OF
the sun ever in mind Instead OF blue serges
he wears white duck morning. noon and
night. Instead of -brimmed straw
hats he wears roomy white pith helmets.
Instead of high. stiff collars and heavy
cravats he wears a flowing scarf about his
| neck. Instead Of clumsy black leather
shoes he wears slippers of white canvas.
His house Is cool on The hottest days
for it's ceilings are high. its roof overhangs
IT has jalousies instead of glass windows
and 1t is bare OF thick carpets and other
useless furnishings. Arising In the morning
he takes a cold shower bath and cats n
very light breakfast.
At noon he eats "A, even lighter meal
and after rising from the table takes Il
| short rest In the cool OF the evening
comes his principal meal of the day.
Americans would do well in summer 10
initiate as far as possible this typical white
man Of the tropics. AZ it is, they seldom
make much change in their mode OF He
when the hot weather begins.
They wear lighter clothes, true enough,
but these clothes are seldom light enough.
Their houses are essentially winter hab!ta-
tions They try to crowd all of their annual
| share Of exercise into three swelterin,s
suffer from all sorts of hot weather NAL
aides from intestinal disturbances to sun
stroke.
The investigation Of Swift. Darrach Ger
hard. Parkes. Packard Wood Pepper.
Dowler, Levick and the other distinguished
| Psychologists who have studied sunstroko
prove that with ordinary care It is avoid
able. Its younger brother heat exhaustion.
| is also avoidable. The latter is less serious
than the former, and usually Yields ~
treatment readily. but it may pave Tho
way for serious maladies. and so should
be regarded war'Iy.
Sambron. a British investigator is of III.
opinion that sunstrokc is nm infectious dis
ease, caused by a definite microscopic or
ganSm. He points out that it often occurs
during comparatively cool weather ami
that great heat does not always produce i.
He also says that post-mortem exam
nations show changes in the brain tissues
of victims which can be accounted for only
as the result of bacterial activity. Ills
conclusions were set forth I'm the British
Medical Journal nine or ten years ago at
great length. but ii must be confessed thar
few Psychologists agree with him.
Guiteras, another investigator, says ihar
sunstroke is sometimes chronic. though al
ways in a mid form, He says that IN
Florida this condition is called Flord.
fever or country fever. and that IT is fr,- .
quently mistaken for malaria or typhoid.
There is no reason To believe. however.
that such fevers are in any wise related
to sunstroke. That thy caused by
exposure of high temperatures may b. true.
but that they bear any appreciate re
samblance to true sir'asis, with its sudden
onset and quick colAse. IS questionable.
Heat exhaustion, as we have seen. differs
vastly from sunstroke. though great heat
causes both. In the latter the temp nature
Of the patient rises enormously and lis
immediate reduction is of first importance.
while in the former the temperature is he
low normal and an exactly opposite method
of treatment is indicated
Heat exhaustion is foresEadowed by -
feeling OF great skness and restlessnrsS.
1t may be produced by exposure Ia tho
direct rays of the sun and then again SC
may be caused by 81 'opne in a warm ROOM
by overwork in hot weather or by exposure
to great heat for hours at time, in
kitchen or bakehouse.
The patients skin grows cold. his pulsn
becomes feeble and his legs scarcely SUP
port him. He is, ind ed, much In the cor
diton of person about to faint from over
exertion, severe pain or loss of blood.
The most effective tr atmant involves tho
use of stimuants. but these should be-
administered by physician. The use %
whisky, however much t may seem To re
vive the patient. should be absoluteir
avoided AS a stimulant 1t leaves much -
be desired and It's secondary effects IN all
cases of exhaustion are very dangerous.
The temperature of the body affords "
ready means of differ ntiatng between sun
stroke and heat exhaustion II the patient
skin is hot and red he should be flooded
with cold water. as described above
IT. on the contrary. his skin is cold AMI
pale he should be wrapped In "A blanket.
Inasmuch how Yer. 1t is always possi-
bic for the layman to make mistaken
diagnosis and such mistakes are apt ."
prove fatal, it is well at all times to Sot 81
physician at once.
One of the unfortunate things about botl
sunstroke and heat exhaustion is the Tact
that they leave thos who recover from
their effects unusually liable TO futur" r.
lacks. The man who has once suffered -