SEA-SICKNESS is a variety of vomiting deserving of special notice. It is often preceded by premonitory symptoms, which appearalmost immediately after a suscepti ble person is exposed to the motion of rolling water in a vessel or boat, and are as dis tressing as the vomiting itself. Amongst these symptoms may be mentioned vertigo and headache, with a peculiar feeling of sinking and distress about the pit of the stomach. Vomiting, however, in general, soon comes on, accompanied with convulsive heaving of time stomach': and such an indescribable feeling of prostration as to render the patient utterly regardless of what is going on around him, and almost indifferent to life. Moreover, a deadly pallor, a profuse cold sweat, and diarrhea, are more or less com monly present. The susceptibility to this troublesome affection varies extremely in dif ferent persons. - Some never suffer from it, others only on their first voyage, and others, again, in every voyage they undertake; with some it continues but a few hours, while others suffer almost continuously throughout a long voyage. In the great majority of cases the sickness disappears in a few days. unless the weather be very boisterous. It almost always ceases on landing, although more or less giddiness may prevail for some hours, the patient when walking feeliag as if the earth were rising up under his feet. Infants and aged persons are supposed to possess a comparative immunity front sea sickness, while, as a general rule, women suffer more than men. According to Dr. Althatts, persons with a strong heart mind a slow pulse generally stiffer little from sea sickness; while irritable people, with a quick pulse and a tendency to palpitation, are more liable to be affected; and he thus accounts for different liability of different natierls to this affection; "for, as a rule, the French and Italians, being of a more irritate temper. suffer most from the disorder, the Germans less, and the English least." ("( Sea-siekne—s as a form of Hypertesthesia," in Proceedings of the Medico-Chirurgical Suckle, vol. v. p. e The primary cause (or rather condition) of sea-sickness is the motion of the ship; and the pitching of a vessel, or alternate rising and falling of the bow and stem, is especially apt to produce it. It is less A It in large and heavily b;dlaste d vessels, because the move ments referred to are least perceptible in them. How this cause operates is a subject Rgarding Which there huts been much and, without (Altering into the. history of the views of different physicians on this subject, we may state that the most recent is that of Dr. Chnpman, who holds that the motions of. tire vessel cause the accumulation of an undue amount of "blood in the nervous centers along the track, and especially in those segments of the spinal cord related to the stomach, and the muscles concerned in vomiting." This condition is induced, as he maintains: in three different ways, viz., (1.) by the movements of the brain, which are much greater in a pitching vessel than on laud; (2.) by the corresponding movements of the spinal cord; and (3.) by the excessive movements of the viscera within the abdominal and pelvic cavities. In one person the brain may be mainly responsible in causing that preternatural efflux of blood in the spinal cord, on which (according to Dr. CbaPman's hypothesis) sea-sickness eepends; in
another, the spinal cord may be the main agent; and in a third, the elide viscera; although each is always concurrent in some degree. Hence, the only scientific and really effective remedy for this disorder must bd one which has the power of lessening the amount of blood in the whole of the nervous centers along the back, and this can be done by lowering the temperature of the spinal region by the local application of ice. For a description of Dr.:Chapman's "spinalice-bags" (which maybe obtained fry m any respect able 'surgical instrument-maker), and for the method of applying them, we must refer to his work On &a-sickness; its Nature and Treatment, p. 37 (Loud. 1864). He gives the details of 17 cases in which the ice-bags were of greater or less benefit; in most of the case's the result was perfectly successful: Besides Dr. Chapman's evident e we have that of rapt. White, commander of one of the Newhaven and Dieppe boats, \Om states that "iii ordinary weather it [Dr. Chapman's remedy] is a success. I bad some difficulty in persuading passengers to try it, but those who did were benefited." Yr. Bradley, sur geon in the Cunard service, in a letter to The Lancet, Dee. 3, 1864, writes as fellows: "I have tried this remedy in severe cases Wien other remedies luxe foiled (chloroform, iced champagne, effervesehe; draughts, fresh air, etc.). and hare very generally found it do greet good. In no ease does it do harm, but in the great majority of instances it soothes the nervous irritability which so commonly accompanies severe sea-sickness, induces sleep, and consequently relieves exhaustion." We are permitted to publish the follow ing. extract of a letter from Dr. Hayle of Rochdale, to Dr. Chapman, dated June 3, 1865: "1 recommended patient about to cross. the Atlantic, to try one cf youdee-bags for sea sickness. The result was most satisfactory. He was never sick when wearing the bag. Once he went without it, arid then, and then only: was he sick. His who had no ice-bag, was frequently sick." As an ancillary the drinking of -iced water, or the swallowing of small lumps of ice, may lie recommended. Dr. man prefers the ice, which, "brought in contact with the peripheral ends of tire nerves of the stomach, will act on the same principle. us it does when applied to the spinal region." Those who are susceptible to this distressing affection, and have rot the opportunity of trying the ice-hags, may, at all events. diminish the severity of the vomiting by assum ing, mid as long as possVe retaining the horizontal position. as nearly as possible. in the center of the ship's movement, and keeping the eyes closed. The compression of the abdomen, by means of a broad tight belt. sometimesgives relief. A few drops of chloroform on a lump of white sugar will sometimes cheek the tendency to vomiting in persons who only suffer slightly. A little arrowroot, flavored with brandy or sherry, is usually a kind of food that will most easily remain on the stomach, when the severity of the • symptoms is abating. Dr. Wood. one of the most eminent of the American phy sicians of the present day, asserts that he has "found nothing under such circumstances so acceptable to the stomach as raw salt oysters."