THE SYMPATHETIC SYSTEM 321 



independent of all organic lesions of the nervous system, 

 can be likened to emotion from a physiological and 

 pathological point of view. 



II. SHOCK. Shock appears in the course of a great 

 many different conditions: Traumatism, hemorrhages, 

 infections, intoxications are primarily nervous reactions, 

 characterized by signs of paralysis or inhibition of the 

 centres of the vegetative nervous systems. State of 

 depression, anxiety, pallor of the face, immobility and 

 often dilatation of the pupils, low temperature, rapidity of 

 the pulse, arterial hypotension, etc. The oculo cardiac 

 reflex is abolished. The vegetative neuro glandular 

 system has a physiological excitation of chemical nature 

 and reacts by a clinical manifestation identical to the 

 different pathological manifestations provoked by the pre- 

 ceding causes. This conception is in accord with the inter- 

 pretation of traumatic shock given recently by Quenu 

 who believes that this syndrome is due to an intoxication 

 by the toxalbumen arising from the tissues, particularly 

 the crushed tissues. 



III. SEA SICKNESS. Sea sickness can be considered as 

 a disturbance of equilibrium of visceral enervation. The 

 sensory stimulations brought about by the movement 

 of the ship act both on the vagus (vomiting) and the 

 sympathetic. 



Cazamian has shown recently that in the symptoms of 

 sea sickness we find evidence of hyperexcitability of the 

 sympathetic: dilatation of the pupil, arterial hypertension, 

 tachycardia, inversion of the oculo motor reflex. 



Sympathicotonic individuals are predisposed to sea 

 sickness while vagotonics are not. Young children do not 

 get sea sick because they are vago-tonic. The use of 

 suprarenalin is illogical while occasionally atropin will 

 give very good results. 



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