SUNSTROKE AND SOME OF ITS SEQUELAE. 171 



posites it is the calyx ; in the bulrush the perianth ; in Epilobium the 

 crown of the seed ; in the cotton-grass it is supposed to represent the 

 perianth ; while in some, as, for instance, in the cotton-plant, the 

 whole outer surface of the seed is clothed with long hairs. Some- 

 times, on the contrary, the hairs are very much reduced in number, as, 

 for instance, in some species of ^schynanthus, where there are only 

 three, one on one side and two on the other. In this case, moreover, 

 the hairs are very flexible, and wrap round the wool of any animal 

 with which they may come in contact, so that they form a double 

 means of dispersion. 



In other cases seeds are wafted by water. Of this the cocoanut 

 is one of the most striking examples. The seeds retain their vitality 

 for a considerable time, and the loose texture of the husk protects 

 them and makes them float. Every one knows that the cocoanut is 

 one of the first plants to make its appearance on coral islands, and it 

 is, I believe, the only palm which is common to both hemispheres. 



The seeds of the common duckweeds {Lemna) sink to the bottom 

 of the water in autumn, and remain there throughout the winter ; but 

 in the spring they rise up to the surface again, and begin to grow. 

 Fortnightly Remew. 



[To he continued.^ 



-^*^^ 



SUJS'STEOKE AXD SOME OF ITS SEQUELS. 



By Sir JOSEPH FAYREE, M. D., F. E. S. 



"1 TNDER the designations of sunstroke, coiqxie-soleil, heat-apo- 

 vJ plexy, heat-asphyxia, thermic fever, ardent fever, insolation, and 

 others, are included certain pathological states which, though differing 

 from each other materially, are not unfrequently confounded. 



1. There is simple syncope from exhaustion caused by heat. 



2. A condition analogous to shock, due to the action of the direct 

 rays of a powerful sun on the brain and cord ; the nerve-centers, espe- 

 cially the respiratory, are affected ; respiration and circulation rapidly 

 fail, and death may result ; recovery is frequent, though not always 

 perfect. 



3. Overheating of the whole body, blood, and nerve-centers, either 

 from direct exposure to the sun's rays, or, more frequently, to a high 

 temperature out of them ; causing vaso-motor paralysis and intense 

 pyrexia (fever) ; respiration and circulation fail, and asphyxia fol- 

 lows. Recovery frequently occurs, but is often incomplete, owing 

 to structural changes in the centers, giving origin to a variety of 

 symptoms indicative of lesions of a grave character. 



The cases of simple exhaustion and syncope may occur during 



