Some people in the Chihuahuan Desert are imbued with a sense of omnipotence when it comes to hot weather. After all, we're used to the heat. Although that helps, it's not invincible armor, and ignoring danger signals may lead to tragedy. We sometimes forget that we produce a lot of internal heat; heat that has to be shed as fast as it's created. The more active the body, the greater the amount of heat produced. We usually keep the body cool largely by combining the evaporation of sweat with increased blood flow to the radiative surfaces of the body.
Intense activity in heat, especially if combined with the attitude that
"I'm tough, I can do without water", can easily lead to health
consequences. The worse-case scenario is heat stroke, where the body loses the ability
to sweat, and the body temperature climbs rapidly. Without immediate treatment,
long-term damage or death is the likely outcome. Those heat stroke victims who manage
to survive without damage are recipients of a different kind of stroke—a stroke of
luck!
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.
University of Maryland Medical Center.