CHAPTER LVI 



HEAT STROKE AND HEAT SYNCOPE 



Diseases due to physical caiises^ — -Heat stroke — Heat syncope — Heat low 



fever—References. 



DISEASES DUE TO PHYSICAL CAUSES. 



In Chapters VII. (p. 137), VIII. (p. 142), and IX. (p. 147) of this 

 book we have discussed the physical causes of disease as we under- 

 stand them. Chapter IX. deals with traumatism, and includes such 

 clinical facts as we thought necessary in a work on tropical medicine; 

 it therefore does not require amplification in the clinical portion 

 of this work. The same remarks apply to the symptoms produced 

 by increased or diminished atmospheric pressure, and by electricity. 



Excluding these physical causes of disease, we are left with the 

 pathological effects of high atmospheric temperatures in association 

 with high relative humidity and with those due to the rays of the 

 sun, both of which conditions may, in our opinion, cause the same 

 clinical phenomena which we term heat stroke and heat syncope, 

 and we base our opinion upon the simple experiments which we 

 have given at the commencement of Chapter VII. (p. 137) and under 

 the section Radiation in Chapter VIII. (p. 144). 



In these chapters we did not discuss the illnesses produced in man 

 by these causes, because it appeared to us that the clinical portion 

 of the book was the more suitable place for this purpose, and there- 

 fore the present chapter is devoted to their consideration. 



HEAT STROKE. 



Synonyms. — Sunstroke, sun-traumatism, insolation, siriasis (not 

 Sambon's siriasis) , thermic fever. French, ' coup de chaleur,' ' coup 

 de soleil ' ; Italian, ' colpo di sole,' ' colpo di calore ' ; German, ' Hitz- 

 schlag,' ' Sonnenstich.' 



Definition. — Heat stroke is caused by a high air temperature, 

 especially when associated with marked humidity, and is charac- 

 terized by high fever and often extreme pulmonary congestion, 

 convulsions, coma, and death. 



Remarks. — Heat stroke is the form of sunstroke and thermic 

 fever which we have commonly met with in our experience in the 

 tropics. 



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