526 OF SECRETION AND EXCRETION. 



Skin is influenced by general conditions of the vascular and nervous systems, 

 which are as yet ill understood. It is quite certain, however, that through 

 the influence of the latter the secretion may be excited or suspended; this is 

 seen on the one hand in the state of syncope, and in the effects of depressing 

 emotions, especially fear, and its more aggravated condition, terror; and on 

 the other, in the dry condition of the skin during states of high nervous ex- 

 citement. It is possible that, in some forms of fever, the suppression of the 

 perspiration is a cause, as well as an effect, of disordered vascular action ; for 

 there are several morbid conditions of large parts of the surface, in which 

 the suppression of the transpiration appears to be one of the chief sources of 

 danger, having a tendency to produce congestion and inflammation of the 

 internal organs. The operation of some poisons, like tobacco and jaborandi, 

 induces copious sweating. From the experiments of Dr. Fourcault, which 

 have been confirmed by Valentin, 1 it appears that complete suppression of 

 the perspiration in animals, by means of a varnish applied over the skin, gives 

 rise to a state termed by him "cutaneous asphyxia;" which is marked by 

 imperfect arterialization of the blood, and considerable fall of temperature; 

 and which, as it produces death in the lower animals, would probably do 

 the same in Man. A partial suppression by the same means gives rise to 

 febrile symptoms, and to albumiuuria. 2 Other symptoms that have been 

 observed are tremors, hypenesthesia, and subsequently anaesthesia of the 

 skin, increased reflex excitability, tetanic cramps, movements of rotation of 

 the whole body, paralysis of the bladder (Feinberg), ulcers in the stomach 

 in consequence of extensive extravasations, and diffuse pareuchymatous in- 

 flammation of the kidneys (Socoloff). 3 In Valentin's experiments it was 

 found that removal to a room of high temperature (71 to 140 Fahr.) was 

 followed by remarkable temporary improvement in the condition of the ani- 

 mals, sensibility and voluntary motor power being reacquired, and in some 

 instances food being taken. Death, however, always ultimately occurred. 

 Laschkewitsch 4 regards the effects produced as analogous to those seen in 

 paralysis of the vaso-motor nerves, where a hypersemic condition of the ves- 

 sels is present, and the animal loses heat rapidly, and more in proportion to 

 the smallness of its size. He denies that the cause of death is asphyxia, but 

 attributes it to cold, and refers in support of his view to the fact that death 

 may be deferred or prevented by wrapping the animal in cotton-wool. Lang 3 ' 

 has pointed out that crystals of the triple phosphates, which he attributes to 

 the decomposition of urea, may be found in all parts of the body after death 

 by suppression of the perspiration. He considers the animals die from une- 

 mic poisoning. Feinberg, 6 on the other hand, refers the symptoms to the 

 irritation of the cutaneous nerves caused by the stiffening of the varnish, 

 which leads to vascular disturbances and paralysis, and secondarily to an 

 affection of the spinal cord. The poisonous nature of the cutaneous secretion 

 is well shown in an experiment made by Rohrig, 7 who found that the injec- 

 tion at noon of 3? ccm. of fresh filtered human sweat into the external jug- 

 ular vein of a rabbit caused the temperature to rise from 99.2 F. to 104.3 

 during the evening, whilst the pulse rose from 192 per minute to 326, and 

 the respirations from 82 to 105. On the following morning, the tempera- 

 ture remaining the same, the cardiac beats were 315, and the respiration 215 



1 Arcliiv fur Physiolog. Hcilk , Bd. ii, 1858, p. 433. 



2 Sec his important treatise, Causes Generalcs dcs Maladies Clironiques, etc., 1844; 

 ami Krit, and Fur. Med. Rev., vol. xx, pp. 100-108. 



3 Sncoloff, Centralblatt, 1872, p. 688. ' 4 Reichert's Archiv, 1868, p. 61 

 5 Arcliiv d. Heilkunde, 1872, Bd. xiii, p. 277. 



e (Vnlnill.latt f. d. Med. AViss , IK?:!, p. - r ,45. 



7 Beitnige zur Physiologic dor Haut, Jahrb. f. Balneologie, 1873, Bd. i, p. 1. 



