Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/818

SEASHORE. 740 SEA-SNAKE. IVuftTs and in the .Soi7 mid .S/iores Thereof (2d eil., Uostoii, 1S47). SEA-SICKNESS. A rollcx iicivous afTection clianiitiiizfil liv nausea, voinitiiifr, and extreme prostiatiiin. produced in susceptible individuals by the motion of a ship nt sea. Premonitorj' symptoms of vertigo, headache, and distress and sinking' at the pit of the stonuich appear almost immediately after a susceptible person is exposed to the motion of rolling water in a vessel. Vomit- ing of a convulsive character soon conies on, with such an overwhelminfr |)rostration as to render the patient utterly regardless of what is going on about him, and almost indillVrent to life. A deadly jjallor, a profuse cold sweat, and diarrhoea are commonly present. Susceptibility to sea- sickness varies greatly in dilTerent persons, and the same individual niay exhibit varying degrees of suseeplibility at difl'erent times. Children and aged persons possess comparative immunity from sea-siekness, and women as a rule suffer more than men. It is believed that persons with a strong heart and a slow pulse are less liable to the alTeetion than irritable individuals, having a rapid pul.se and a tendency to palpitation. The primary cause of sea-sickness is the mo- tion of the vessel, and the pitching, or alternate rising of the bow and stern, is specially apt to induce it. In some persons other regular oscillator}' movements bring on a very similar condition: the motion of a swing, a railway, train, or even a carriage is enough to provoke nausea and vomiting in these individuals. The exact manner in which such causes produce sea- sickness is not definitely settled. It is now gen- erally believed to be by a reflex disturbance of the nervous system due to the violent and un- usual stimulation of the organs of special sensa- tion concerned in maintaining the equilibrium of the body, particularly the semicircular canals of the ear, the eyes, and also of the abdominal viscera, especially the stomach. Very probably no one cause is operative in any case. Some eases seem to be primarily of gastric origin, while others are purely psychical or nervous. It has beer suggested that the attack is due to a con- gestion or hypeniemia of the nervous centres in the spinal cord, which are related to the stomach, and the muscles concerned in vomiting. The remedies which have been suggested and used for sea-sickness are innumerable. ]Iost per- sons are benefited by a preliminary course of calomel and a light diet for several days before sailing. Small doses of strychnine may be taken for a few hours before embarking. A laxative pill at night for the first two or three days of the voyage is also beneficial, together with a simple diet and avoidance of fluids. If in spite of precautions the attack comes on. the patient should at once go to bed, and stay there for a day or two or until the attack subsides. A belladonna plaster over the nape of the neck, and one of mustard, spice, or capsicum over the epigastrium, will sometimes keep all symptoms in abe.vance. The surface temperature may be kept up with hot-water bottles if necessary. Vomiting may be combated by taking pieces of ice. iced champagne, ginger ale. or a few drops of brandy; these are better than the hot broths or beef tea usually given. Cocaine in small doses by the mouth is a valuable agent to control severe Tomiting. Headache and nausea are often amen- able to bromocaffein or similar preparations. Chloral, the bromides, antipyrine, nitroglycerin, and amyl nitrite are also useful in certain cases, if the onset of the sickness is not sudden and severe, a determined effort to breathe regularly and not in rhythm with the motion of the ship will often overcome the spasmodic muscular con- tractions and the tendency to vomit. Compres- sion of the abdomen by a broad tight belt will sometimes give relief. Lastly, the patient should not remain too long below deck. All unpleasant symptoms will sometimes quickly vanish on a return to the fresh air and sunshine. See Vomit- ing. SEASIDE GRAPE (Coccoloha uvifera) . A small West Indian tree of the natural order Polygonaceae, which grows on the seacoasts. It attains a height of 20 feet or more; has leathery, shining entire leaves, and a pleasant, subacid, edible fruit, halt an inch in diameter, some- what resembling a currant, formed of the pulpy calyx investing a bony nut. The wood is heavy, hard, durable, and beautifully veined, and when boiled yields an astringent red coloring matter, sometimes called .Jamaica kino. SEASIDE SPARROW. One of several small cons])icuously streaked marsh-sparrows constitut- ing the genus Ammodramus, and found numer- ously in four species in the Eastern United States, specifically Ammodramus maritimiis. The sharp-tailed and Henslow's sparrows are others. SEA-SLXTG. A shell-less creeping mollusk of the nudibranchiate group. (See NuDlliR.^xciilATA and accompanying Colored Plate.) The term is also sometimes applied to holothurians (q.v.). SEA-SNAIL. A fish of the family Lipari- didie, consisting of small sluggish, gobv-like fishes of Arctic and Antarctic seas, which creep about the rocks at various depths, adhering to them by EA-SNAIlj. a. A North .tlantic eea- snail (Liparis liparis) ; b, its sucking disk. a ventral sucking disk (see illustration), formed of the modified ventral fins. They feed upon' both vegetable and animal substances. SEA-SNAKE. One of the poisonous marine snakes of the elapine subfamily Hydrophidie. They are from two to four feet lon.i;, and have the tail, and sometimes the entire body, com- pressed vertically in adaptation to their swim- ming life. They are absolutely aquatic, and die when kept long out of the water, though they go ashore to bear their young, which are born alive, and are guarded by the mother for a pe- riod. They cast their skins piecemeal. These serpents are found in about .50 species of sev- eral genera, from the Persian Gulf to the Philip- pines (casually to .Japan), and also on the coast of Central .merica. They abound, sometimes in