Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1909-04-10
HEAT OF THE BODY.
Climatic Variations Do Not Affect
Internal Conditions.
MANS NORMAL TEMPERATURE

II Is 9s.6 Degrees When Taken Under
the Tongue Whether One Lives In
the Arctic Regions or In the Tropics.
Some Record Fever Temperatures.
The normal temperature OF human
being Is generally given as $50 de-
grees, but the statement must be slight
~ qualified. II is the normal temper
AZURE when taken by placing the Their
mometer under the tongue or In the
armplt or the groin.
The surface temperature OF the head,
hands or abdomen varies from 90 de-
grees to % degrees or even lower. That
of the internal regions may go up to
1922 degrees, that being the average
heat of the blood circulating In the
liver and some other organs
But 1856 degrees Is called the normal
temperature OF II human being, and 1t
doesn't matter whether he lives In the
desert OF Sahara or In Greenland, ac-
cording TO Il writer IN the Technical
World. Awake or asleep, ut work or
just loaiing. a mans temperature re.
mains practically ut this level.
When 1t varies more than the fraction
of degree II is because the heat reg.
ulating mechanism Is dlsarranged by
disease or by abnormal conditions OF
some sort. Excessively high measures
of heat may be borne for several min
utes by an individual without raising
his temperature more than a fraction
of degree. Persons who sometimes
are styled human salamanders have
given exhibitions of their ability to
stand high temperatures
There Is an authentic case recorded
of Martinez, the so called French sala-
mander. a baker by trade, who exposed
himself TO high temperatures from boy
hood. lie remained In an oven erected
in the Tivoll gardens for fourteen min
utes when the temperature In 1t was
33S degrees. His pulse OH entering
was seventy-six a minute and had
reached $50 when he came out. He
often duplicated this performance.
Chamouni, celebrated Russian sal.
amander. who called himself "the in
combustible." used to go into an oven
and stay while leg of mutton was
roasted there, not coming out until the
meat was well done. He eventually
lost his life In one of these perform
ances.
Fever is rise Of temperature above
the normal level. This rise Is seldom
beyond 106 degrees. Mental and nerv-
Gus influences may so act for time as
to disorder the control Of the Their.
motaxic nerve center and cause fever.
II is interesting to note some of the
high temperatures which are on mod
ical record as having actually occurred
in certain diseases. Guys hospital In
London records the case of a hyster-
ical woman afflicted with tuberculosis
of one lung who showed 100 degrees.
At n meeting of the Association OF
Americar Physicians In 1895 DIR. ia
cobb of New York reported patient
In whom fever reached the almost in
credible figure of 14S degrees +. This
case occurred in hysterical fireman
who had suffered severe injury from
a fall
In the discussion which followed the
report of this case among the members
of the association DIR. WEIGH Of Balti-
more referred TO a condition OF hyper
thcrmy that had come to his knowl-
edge In which the temperature was
recorded as III degrees i. or course
such exceedingly high temperatures
are of only short duration or death
would ensue.
Fever is not the only disturbance
which may alter temperature. Certain
conditions. especially those due to dis
eases like tuberculosis. acute alcohol
ism, melancholia, convalescence from
fevers. poisoning from various drugs,
and so forth. may cause the bodily
warmth to become subnormal. In
juries and surgical shock also Origi-
nate the same effect. Starvation al
ways induces n gradual fall.
Low temperatures are always dan
gerous. and unless reaction quickly
ensues, by aid OF relief measures. a
fatal termination may be expected.
The lowest recorded during life that
may be regarded as reliable is one re.
ported by Duffy in which the Their
mometer registered 81 degrees +.
Death ensued the following day.
The body. however, can withstand
extreme cold more readily than 1t can
extreme heat before the regulating
center becomes disordered. and so,
other things being equal. freezing to
death Is not as common In cold eli
mates as sunstroke Is in warm.