_Treatment._—In the case of Heat prostration the patient should be laid
in the shade on his back, his clothes should be loosened, his limbs
massaged, and, if he is collapsed, stimulants in the form of ammonia
or camphor should be administered. The asphyxial type of heat-stroke
can only be treated by means of artificial respiration, which may have
to be continued for as long as a couple of hours. The ordinary form,
which has been called the paralytic type, must be treated promptly and
vigorously. One must aim at reducing the temperature, getting rid of the
toxic material in the body and preventing heart failure. Probably the
best way of treating the condition as an emergency is to lay the patient
naked on an inclined plane and drench him with cold water. When doing
so it is well to take the rectal temperature, and to stop this chilling
process when the thermometer registers 102° F. After the drenching wrap
the patient in blankets and apply hot bottles to the trunk and limbs. An
ice bag, if available, should be applied to the head, which in any case
should be swathed in cold cloths. It should be noted that in the absence
of ice, a sheet soaked in cold water or dilute alcohol, over which a
draught of air plays, is a useful substitute. A fan may be used to create
the air draught. Auxiliary methods of treatment can be efficiently
carried out only under medical supervision. As soon as the patient has
recovered somewhat, a dose of calomel should be given, followed by
salines.
_Syphilis._
Syphilis, or the Pox, is an infectious venereal disease, nearly always
communicated by direct contagion. The course of the disease is marked by
a primary sore, the chancre; early constitutional (secondary) symptoms,
and late constitutional (tertiary) symptoms.
In primary syphilis the disease is limited to the part or organ
originally infected, and the glands connected with that spot. After an
incubation period of from three to six weeks a small painless pimple
appears at the seat of infection; it breaks down, and forms a small ulcer
from which oozes a little watery fluid. The base of the ulcer and the
skin surrounding it are hard like gristle. The nearest glands, usually
those of the groin, enlarge and occasionally become tender. Unless badly
neglected, the original sore gradually heals and the glands resume their
normal size. Secondary symptoms now make their appearance. These are
fairly definite, and comprises (_a_) A skin rash, consisting of numerous
irregularly shaped copper-coloured spots, spread over the face, upper
part of the chest, the loins and the back of the arms. They do not itch.
(_b_) Moist lumps and warts form in the crutch, around the scrotum
(purse) and the outlet of the bowel. (_c_) Ulcerated sore throat. Large
deep ulcers form on each tonsil, having ragged undermined edges. (_d_)
Iritis or inflammation of the eye may also occur. These symptoms, even
if untreated, tend to heal, but always leave more or less marked traces
behind.
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