Fainting

Fainting, and Syncope, are terms applied to the condition produced by a sudden disturbance of the heart's action or of the distribution of the blood within the body, resulting in a diminished supply of blood to the brain and other parts. The symptoms of syncope are pallor of the skin, especially noticeable in the face, often accompanied by sweating and associated with coldness of the extremities; the pulse becomes weak; the respiratory movements are slow and feeble; a feeling of nausea is almost always present, and actual vomiting may occur. There is also more or less complete loss of consciousness, and the patient may suddenly fall to the ground in a state of complete insensibility. Syncope may be caused by disease of the heart or other organs of the body, but fainting attacks are not infrequently produced by mere emotional disturbance, or by exposure to a close and unhealthy atmosphere.