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Show LIGHTNING'S EFFECTS. Where the Majority of Deaths Occur. PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF LIGHTNING STROKE How a Patient's Consciousness was Restored. I Tho majority of deaths from lightning ! occurs In t lio "level, open country, trees, Tillage and thickly built up towns and cities, by their projections into tho air. Berviug as conductors, and thereby protecting pro-tecting the inhabitants from direct stroke. Tho loss of life annually throughout the world Is very great. In European Russia from 1B70 to no less than 2.270 per- j sous were killed by this cause. In Aus- ! tria during tho same time 1,900 persona . were likewise killed. In Prussia it is reported re-ported that seventy persons are annually killed. Ten thousand persons are re-: re-: ported as having been struck during a period of nine-arid-twenty years with 2,2."3 deaths in France; while in the United States during 1870 alone 203 deaths from lightning were recorded. Tho efforts of lightning stroke are most Interesting, curious and appalling. The general symptoms are usually of shock. There Is often unconsciousness, some- timcB coma, lasting Iroin a rew uours to even days; partial or complete loss of Bight or hearing, associated with Impairment Impair-ment of the other senses. The tissues may bo burned superficially or deeply, the bones fractured, and portions of the limbs are torn off entirely. Tho tracksof light- I ning on the surface of the body may have a fancied resemblance to the branches of i a tree, the main stem from which the branches lead off arising at any portion of the body. Tho skin in these tracks may be simply scarlet in cnlnr. idifrlitly onuiled or blistered, the branches tapering taper-ing off until no larger than tho scratch of a pin. They may pass in all directions from tho place lirst struck or skip about from ono part to another. This is due to tho conduction of the current by the clothing, which If wet acts as an excellent excel-lent conductor. For the purpose of Illustrating these effects the following report of a case is taken from The Philadelphia Medical Nows, reported by a physician who was on the spot the timo tho accident occurred. Dr. J. B. Paige: "Tho current struck the chimney of the house and passed down the Btudding near the window to au iron hook on which was suspended a chain and bird cage, passed from this to the head of the lady, sitting just inBlde the window, and beneath the cage, above the left eye, midway between i the eyebrow and hair, which was appar-i appar-i ently the part nearest tho corner of the bird cage; passed along in front the ear, I then to the central line of the chest, i descending by tho stocking supporter,! which was attached to the corsets; thence to the top of the stockings, leaving marks upon both limbs, but more especially upon the left, on tho back of which, just above the knee joint, was a burn about tho size of ono's hand. It had the appearance ap-pearance of an ordinary burn, and was only superficial. No trace of the current could be detected again until the foot was reached, from which it passed off by the iolut of the groat toe, tearing a place about two inches in diameter in the stocking stock-ing and slipper, but not leaving the slightest mark upon the skin. With the exception of the burned spot on the posterior pos-terior part of the left leg, and one or two small burns on the body and the right leg, congested lines alone marked the course of the electricity in its passage over tho body. "Her condition was found to be as follows: fol-lows: Completely unconscious; motionless; motion-less; muscles relaxed; left eye closed, right open; face purple; pulse at wrist imperceptible; im-perceptible; neither heart sounds nor respiratory res-piratory sounds to be heard. At once artificial breathing was resorted to, and in from two to three minutes the first sign of life appeared in a movement of the left leg. The blue color faded from the face, and the pulse was felt at tho wrist. Soon "saliva, wiuflrf wTe-ITrjnn'aan'tfd'fl -gravitated back, and could not be swallowed swal-lowed because of complete paralysis of the pharynx, etc. There was, in fact, paralysis of almost all tho muscles of the uppermost parts of the body, including the arms. Tho symptoms were those exhibited ex-hibited by an animal when being asphyxiated; asphyxi-ated; violent muscular contraction, diffi- j cult and forced respiration, etc. Under continued efforts consciousness returned in three quarters of an hour. A period of four weeks elapsed before all the senses and her general health was restored and all paralysis had disappeared." i In this do we see the effects of light- I fling in a pronounced degree, and there can be no doubt but that this person would have died from the effects if the physician had not been present to at once resort to artificial or forced respiration and wrap the body to maintain the heat ! necessary for life. Respiration had : stopped and the heart was acting feebly and very slowly, and every evidence. In the complete unconsciousness and muscu- j lar relaxation, was present that death 1 was at hand. But by forced respiration ' and preserved heat the oxygen supplied and sent through tho body by the slow j and feebly acting heart revivified tho stunned nerve centers, and life was : saved. The unconsciousness was due to the 1 shock impressed on the protoplasm of the nerve centers through the sensitive ', nerves, and not by the direct entrance of tho electric current or vibrations into tho ! protoplasm of the brain cells; the effect ' was physiological principally, not physi- : cal. Tne physical effects were molecular, I as they must needs be, and are seen in , the blistered, disorganized skin and the j charred ..and rent clothing and shoes. Terrific as must have been Vie force at f lay, these evidences of the skipping of he current from the body to the bettor i conductors, the clothing and shoes, only ; show that the physical effect was on tho surface. The profound molecular changes resulting in the unconsciousness, paralysis paraly-sis of senses, respiration and muscles, was due to a transformation of the electrical elec-trical force or impulse, not only at the places where its direct impact occurred, but by the induced effects on all the surface sur-face of the body, into sensation, which was conducted through the proper channels, chan-nels, the nerves, to the protoplasm of tfo nerve centers, thereby from its great j strength abolishing function. Globe-1 Democrat. |