Abstract
IN the Revue des deux Mondes for the 15th August (page 854), there is a remark which, though somewhat exaggerated, is of very great value and practical significance. The writer says, “The phenomenon known as «Sunstroke’ is due to the action of light, and not, as is generally believed, to the elevation of temperature.” An exception has to be made in cases where the sun playing, especially on the back of the head and neck, produces unmistakeable sunstroke. Every surgeon practising in the East also meets instances of “solar apoplexy,” which present themselves as often as not during the night, but only in the excessively hot weather. However, I know from personal experience that it is quite possible to lay oneself up completely with intense headache, constant nausea, cold extremities, &c., by exposing the eyes only to the glare of the sun, the head and neck being completely sheltered by a helmet and puggree, and the body being at rest in a carriage. Further, I have found it possible, when accidentally obliged to expose myself, to avoid all inconvenience by merely wearing deeply-smoked glasses, my head being guarded only by an ordinary felt hat. But this is an experiment not to be tried rashly. The conclusion obviously is that whenever there is an intense glare, whether attended by intense heat or not, the first condition to fulfil is to shelter the eyes. As the retina is in truth an expansion of the brain, the brain is more accessible to external influences through the eyes than through any other avenue.
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JAMIESON, R. Sun Stroke. Nature 3, 168 (1870). https://doi.org/10.1038/003168e0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/003168e0
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