Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-28
NORMAL TEMPERATURE OF MAN
IL ~ csc Degree. when Taken Un-
der the Toneue, No Matter
where tie Lives.


The normal temperature OF a human
being Is generally given as &s degrees.
but the statement must be slightly auali-
fled. II Is the normal temperature when
taken by placing the thermometer under
the tongue or in the armpit or the groin.
The surface temperature Of the head,
hands or abdomen varies from IS degrees
to % degrees. or even lower. That OF the
internal regions may go up to i022 de-
grees. that being the average heat OF the
blood circulating in the liver and some
other organs.
But sSs degrees is called the normal
temperature OF a human being. and II
doesn't matter whether he lives in the
desert Of Sahara or I'm Greenland. Awake
or asleep. at work or Just oafinE. = mans
temperature remains practically at this
level.
When II varies more than the fraction Of
a degree II Is because the heat regulating
mechanism Is disarranged by disease or
by abnormal conditions OF some sort Ex-
cessively high measures OF heat may be
borne for several minutes by an individual
without raising HIS temperature more than
a fraction OF a degree. Persons who some
times are styled human s~alamanders have
given exhibitions Of their ability to stand
high temperatures.
There is an authentic case recorded OF
Martinez. the so-called French ~salamander
"a baker by t~rade-who exposed himself
to high temperatures from boyhood. He
remained in an oven erected in the Tfvoli
Gardens for fourteen minutes when the
temperature In Il was Ss degrees. HIS
pulse on entering was Is a minute. and
had reached 100 when he came out He
often duplicated this performance.
Chamouni. a celebrated Russian sala-
mander. who called himself The Incom-
bustible." used to go into an oven and
stay while a leg OF mutton was roasted
there. not coming out until the meat was
well done. He eventually lost his life
in one of these performances.
Feyer Is a rise Of temperature above the
norma level. This rise is seldom beyond
los degrees. Mental and nervous influ-
ences may 50 act for a time as to disorder
the control OF the thermotaxic nerve center
and cause fever.
1t is interesting to note some OF the high
temperatures which are on medical REQ
ord as having actually occurred In certain
diseases.
At a meeting OF the Association OF Amer
lean Physicians In 1895 DR.. Jacob OF New
loIh ItINNNtu = PdNlttA III NhbA A0NCh
reached the almost incredible figure OF 1913
degrees Fahrenheit This case occurred
in a hysterical fireman who had suffered
a severe injury from a faln.
In the discussion which followed the re-
port OF this case among the members OF
the association DIT. welch Of Baltimore
referred to a condition Of hyperthermy that
had come to his knowledge, in which the
temperature was recorded as III degrees
Fahrenheit. OF course such exceedingly
high temperatures are of only short dura-
ton or death would ensue.
Fever Is not the only disturbance which
may alter temperature. Certain conditions
especially those due to diseases like tuber-
culosis. acute alcoholism, mclancholia, con-
valescence from fevers. poisoning from va
rious drugs and so forth-may cause the
bodily warmth to become subnormal. In
juries and surgical shock also originate
the same effect. Starvation always in
duces a gradual fall
Low temperatures are always dangerous
and unless a reaction quickly ensues. by
aid of relief measures. a fatal termination
may be expected. The lowest recorded dur
ing life that may be regarded as reliable
is one reported by Duffy. in which the
thermometer registered 81 degrees Fahrn-
heit. Death ensued the following day.
The body, however. can withstand ex-
treme cold more readily than it can ex-
IRENE heat before the regulating center be-
, comes disordered: and so. other things
being equal. freezing to death is not as
| common in cold climates as sunstroke is
in warm.-Technical World Magazine.