Preliminary observations on the pathology of sea-sickness / by J.A. Irwin.

  • Irwin, J. A. (John Arthur), 1853-1912.
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Preliminary observations on the pathology of sea-sickness / by J.A. Irwin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    The limited space at my disposal precludes the possibility of citing authority for each of the ana- tomical and physiological facts upon which I base the following argument. I can only say that such authority is to be found in the writings of Flourens, Vulpian, Goltz, Breuer, Mach, Crum-Brown, Cyon, Burnett, Helrnholtz, Ferrier, &c. The endolymph, flowing freely in the semicircular canals, and subject to all the physical laws of fluids —inertia, gravitation, friction, &c,—follows the motion of the head (and ship) in those canals whose plane corresponds most nearly to the direction of that motion. When the motion is suddenly re- versed by the semi-rhythmical oscillation of the ship, or altered in direction by the advent of a new wave striking her on another point, the endolymph .continues to move on in the original direction until stopped by friction. This causes undue pressure in one or more of the ampullae, by which wrong im- pressions are conveyed to the sensorium, and inco- ordination, giddiness, &c, are the result. The otoliths are washed about by each movement of the fluid; the cilia3 and the terminal nerve filaments are irritated and abused; and when this process has continued in operation for a certain time, a con- dition is set up which represents the true primary pathology of the ordinary form of sea-sickness— irritative hyperwmia of the semicircular canah.