Show v t i t t t tS t'S 1 S A RAVAGES y OF 0 D SOL HIS SCORCHING H RI HIGHNESS H HHAS HAS A BLACK RECORD oRD Scientists or of tho the Bureau Investigating In Investigating In- In Him Sunstrokes and Their 11 Manifestations Manifestations- and antl Dangers Danger Has Bas Much lUnch to An Answer ver For O 0 OThe I t The weather bureau at at Washington n Is Just now engaged in an investigation to result In the future saving of man many y human lives each year from Old Sols Sol ys s fatal summer harvest It may be surprIsIng surprising sur our but It is nevertheless true that no one yet et knows the exact meteorologIcal meteorological meteorological meteoro meteoro- logical and physiological and psychologIcal psychological psychological psycho psycho- logical conditions which cause heatstroke heatstroke heatstroke heat heat- stroke and sunstroke When th the e weather bureaus bureau's Important Investigation I tion has been completed It may b be e PossIble possible to forecast sunstroke ics Interesting data is being collected collect collect- ed from hospitals and individual physIcians physicians phy phy- in practically every locality o of or orthe f the United States Dates and locations locations loca iota of cases are being leing reported an anthe and d the weather maps and usual data collected collected collected col col- by the bureau are being studied studie d In connection therewith writes J. J E EWatkins E. E Watkins from Washington It is all aU very well to to say that hot ho t weather is the primary cause cause of su sun n and heat stroke This m means means ans nothing g to the weather sharps who wo are prying d gd into the problem There are man many y r other conditions which go to make hot ho t weather then simply a high temperature temperature temperature tempera tempera- ture as shown by the thermometer There are atmospheric moisture an and pressure wind velocity electrostatic potential sunshine etc l' l The old non notion notion no no- tion lion n was that sunstroke was not likely likely like like- ly by to occur on hot and dry days bu but t that hot and moist days were most dan dan- Ine statistics so far collected d at the weather bureau do not accord with this theory Moisture of ot the atmosphere atmosphere at at- appears to have little to d do o with the case Moreover sunstrokes sunstroke s are very rare upon the s sea sea a. a where th the e I breezes are heavily charged with evaporated evaporated evaporated orated water Another interesting fact fad t being brought out Is that every locality y P has its local sunstroke temperature People in Boston Doston for instance cannot cannot can can- cannot not endure nearly so high an average e daily temperature as those of New Or Or- leans A man native of of Boston an and d acclimated there however would probably probably probably ably be as sensitive to heat in Ne New w Orleans as he would in Boston A Ais As Asis AsIs s is well known physicians have belIeved believed belie ed that some relationship exists between between between be be- tween sunstroke and the use of alcohol alco alto hol Data on this point is being col Eighty per per per- percent cent of C the th cas cs- cs sand s. s and 90 per cent of th this the deaths whose e I history as to the use of alcohol is i es s known are of persons who drank moderately moderately moderately mod mod- or in excess Dr W. W F. F R. R Phillips in charge of ot the sunstroke e Investigation says that we feel hea heat heator t or cold more acutely when the atmosphere atmosphere atmosphere atmos atmos- phere Is relatively damp It Is a question ques ques- tion n whether this Is not glue pue alone t to o the fact tact that a moist skin is more sensitive sensitive sen sen- to touch than a dry one Sunstrokes Sunstrokes Sun Suli- strokes are not due to sudden rises of o f temperature lasting a short while only but to continuous hot weather Dr Phillips says the human body can stand Stan d very hot atmospheres for a short time An experimenter In Europe has placemen placed place d men In an oven and subjected them t to o temperatures of air as high as degrees degrees de degrees de- de grees Fahrenheit In such an enormous enormous enor enor- moue temperature as this however they were allowed to remain but a a avery avery very few minutes In order to produce e a sunstroke epidemic the nights as well wet 1 as the days must be hot t. t days followed fol fol- lowed by comparatively cool nights ar arnot are e not dangerous nOr noi are brief spells o of r intensely hot weather with Intervening g days of cool gs Further sunstroke seems seem s to become epidemic when the mean mea n temperature of the day or of several severs 1 consecutive days rises as high or nearly nearly near near- ly as high as the norm normal normah maximum m 1 temperature for the same period Ne New mw w data being collected is constantly adding adding adding add add- ing to or hr reducing the weight of these conclusions There Is a raft of ne new w scientific literature on the subject o of t sunstroke Much attention is just no now w being paid to the effect of hot weather r upon the brain For experimental purposes purposes purposes pur pur- poses heat has been concentrated upon mens men's skulls and such uncomfortable experiments have shown that In a hot temperature the blood vessels of ot the underlying brain expand causing the head to fill with blood Just before before be be- fore a sunstroke the Wood blood leaves the vessels at surface the of ot the body and flows to the interior organs organ organs including the brain and spinal cord J 1 The brain has a gr greater ater capacity for blood than any of the others Therefore syncope or loss of consciousness r vaults results The blood must be bo Immediately expelled from the tho nerve centers The latest device device de device de- de vice for accomplishing this Is a long narrow rubber bag I inches ches filled with powdered ice applied to the back along the spinal column from the shoulder blades to the waist At the same time water hot-water bags i are re applied to the hands bands feet and g general surface surface surface sur sur- face of th the skin The heart Is meanwhile meanwhile mean mean- while stimulated by hypodermic In In- In Application of cold to the spine Is now recommended recommended by good authorities for those who suffer Buffer generally generally gener goner ally from hot weather or have previously had sunstroke A double- double columned water hot-water bag is Isi applied to the back of the the neck to toj j 4 f. f f q O O U If f. f i i W 1 t- t t r 1 stimulate the ganglia and cause tn the arteries of the brain to contract Ice Is also applied to the head and anti- anti Internally All of this Is the very latest treatment Elaborate experiments experiments ex ex- experiments lately made In France indicate indicate indicate indi indi- cate that one is much more liable to become when tired than when rested This theory seems to have been established establish d pretty well by two experimenters named and Regnard They placed two dogs In a tightly metal box The atmosphere atmosphere atmosphere at at- Inside could be heated to any degree One dog was kept at rest while the other was made to work a wheel treadmill similar to that used In squIrrel squirrel rel Tel cages When the dog shirked the wheel was revolved by hand The dog at rest endured a temperature of degrees F. F without apparent discomfort discomfort fort but the working dog fell prostrate in a half halt hour At degrees both animals animals ani ant mals mall died but that which rested held out many hours longer than that which worked Such experiments of course apply to sunstroke as well as to heart- heart stroke since the former is due in al almost almost almost al- al most every Instance to the surrounding atmosphere not atmosphere not to the direct burning of the suns sun's rays upon uon the top of ot the head as commonly supposed Like scarlet fever sunstroke Is found to leave Its victim vIctim vIctim-if If he has the good goodluck goodluck goodluck luck to recover recover generally generally with some permanent malady Some of these after diseases are insanity dizziness sensitiveness to heat headaches colorblIndness colorblindness col cal blindness or-blindness gastritis Irritability numbness loss of ot concentration deafness deaf deaf- ness ness impaired sight and t tenderness of the spine One theory is that the character character char char- acter actor always alwa's becomes changed by a sunstroke because of alteration of the structure of af the nerve centers Sunstroke Sunstroke Sunstroke Sun Sun- stroke on the other hand has been known to act like Uke the gold cure upon men previously known to have ed Sunstroke victims are seldom able to tolerate high degrees of heat One convalescent whose case Is on record fled Bed to the cellar every time the thermometer thermometer ther titer reached 75 76 d degrees grees and finally finally final final- ly took rock refuge in Alaska Insanity following followIng following fol fol- lowing sunstroke Is la very frequent and andIs andIs Is pronounced Incurable by some au au- au- au Many of our soldiers In the tropics have been been victims of ot sunstroke since the war began Many cases have occurred aboard the transport vessels where they have been crowded together pending delays Such cases have occurred occurred oc oc- at night when there has been no sun as well as in daytime A milt mili military tary tarp surgeon who has studied heatstroke heatstroke heat heat- stroke In to the army for twenty years says he has seen most victims fall when the sun has been obscured by a cloud or mist The weather bureau has been embarrassed by sensational reports reports re re- re- re ports that It Is preparing to forecast waves waves of c f crime due to weather condi condi- It has no such purpose In view Nevertheless some valuable statistics lately collected by various Investigators Investigators investigators gators tend to show that public morals realtY are at lower ebb In summer than In winter The Chicago police records compared with statistics ol oj that city's weather bureau for a period of eight years show a marked Increase in crime as hot weather sets In that crime Increases as rainfall decreases and that people of Chicago are most immoral when winds are southwest and least so when northwest Italian statistics show that more duels are fought taught in warm than In n cold weather weather- In France the highest percentage of divorces are brought to court In fn warm months American statistics show that our greatest riots have broken out In is late spring or summer notably the four great New York riots In May June and July of 49 49 57 63 and 71 71 and the great Pitts Pittsburg burg riots of 77 Homestead Homestead Home Home- stead riots of 92 and Chicago riots of 94 94 all In July Women are said to complain less of hot weather than men It was Sydney Smith wh who said It Is Impossible to feel affection above 78 degrees or below 20 degrees F. F Human Human Hu Hu- man nature Is too solid or too liquid beyond these limits and Seneca who opined The empire of the world has always remained In IIi the hands of those natures who enjoy a mild mUd cli sli- mate Those who dwell near the frozen frozen iroz en north have uncivilized tempers tempera JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS JR |