Elizabeth Wenks description is an astonishingly complete and accurate description of High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE).
She mentions the signs and symptoms that are the
sine qua non for making the diagnosis; ataxia and altered mental status in a person with recent altitude gain with or even without (!) AMS findings like headache. And, her knowledge that even partial descent of 1,000 or 2,000 ft can be dramatic and life -saving, was in fact, life-saving. I salute Elizabeth and Douglas for their actions.
For more information, see
High Altitude Medical Guide HACE Now, of course, I must add a mountaineering quote, this one from the most famous Everester of all time. He illustrates the problem of mental status changes with HACE at Himalayan altitude, but HACE is occasionally seen with rapidity and severity at "just" Whitney altitudes.
Mountaineers have often observed a lack of clarity in their mental state at high altitudes; it is difficult for the stupid mind to observe how stupid it is. George Mallory, Chapters IV-VI, X-XI in
Bruce, CG,
The Assault on Mount Everest 1922, page 129
