The Bourbon news., 1913-09-26
SOME FACTS AND FIGURES
ABOUT BODY TEMPERATURE.
(New York Press)

(New York Press)
1t is well to know what raises and
what lowers the bodily temperature
In the summer we all want to keep
as cool as possible, and we should
make us feel cool, but really to be
cool.
Except in sickness, when the tenn.
perature of the body is increased by
many degrees and is called fever, we
are never SO hot as at the moment
we are born. The temperature of a
newborn baby is higher than that of
it's mother, raising to 1O2 degrees
Fathernheit, but during the first day
it goes down rapidly as far as 97.5
and then raises again to little more
than the normal temperature of the
adult. With this exception age does
not change the temperature, which is
in the normal man 1876 on the av-
erage.
The temperature varies as much as
2 degrees in the twenty-four hours.
The medium is 97.5, and is reached
at about o'clock a. m, while the
maximum 99.6, is attained at 4 in the
afternoon. 1t is notable that fasting
or sleep does not altar these tenn
peratures; those persons, however,
who work at night and rest by day
reverse the order of the variations
in temperature Thus bakers, who
work at night, have the highest
| temperature at a. m. and the min
imum toward evening.
In the tropical countries, the aver
age normal temperature is 1904,
slightly higher than in the temper
ate zones. In the arctic the normal
| temperature is lower. NOrwigans,
| who live in the cold climate, have an
| average temperature of 97.7.
The variations are certainly due
to the difference in the temperature
of the air, and not, as some have
thought, to difference in race, for
Norwegians attain the same temper
ature as natives when they live in
the tropics.
Muscular labor mas considerable
effect upon the temperature and may
raise 1T as much as 2 degrees. One
scientist observed that with normal
exercise the temperature went up
from 97.7 to 100. In certain eXcep-
tional cases the temperature rises
even more. A runner has been found
to mark 103 after a hard race. Intel
lectual labor also causes a rise in
temperature. Wehls shows that a
man sitting down to study hard with
a temperature of 81 raises it 1 degree
to SO by forty minutes of brain
work
The maintenance of the tempera-
ture about a certain standard in the
q dn6 l. l.
ing the variations of the external
temperature, prove the existence
OF some kind of internal regulator
by which the animal fights agains
the tendency to increase or diminish
his own heat.
The resistance of warm -blooded an !
lmals against cold is considerable. |
In Polar regions these animals
bears, seals, musk oxen, dogs, etc.
Withstand temperatures of 80 degrees
below zero habitually, and Nanzen |
reports that he felt no great incon-
venience when the temperature was
less than 40 below.
The body uses two means of fight
ing cold. Diminishing the loss of
heat by radiation and increasing in
ternal combustion.
Diminution of radiation is brought
about by the fur of the animal and
by mans clothing. Besides, there is
a constitution of the blood vessels, or
a d1minution of the irrigation of the
skin and as a consequence decreases
radiation
Increase of combustion is brought
about by increase of muscular actiy-
ty, which, as we say, "keeps us
Tarm,' and by the eating of fats and
'ther foods of high carbon content.
In summer or in tropical climates
We have to fight increase of temper
lture which will arise from the in
vasion of the heat without or from
within. The organ
SIN OvercOmes heat by increasing
'adiation and evaporation. The di-
alton of the blood vessels causes
he blood to flow to the surface of
he body, and if the temperature
Without be not higher than that of
he blood the loss by radiation is in
reased.
But it is especially by loss of water
hat the warm-blooded animals pre-
ent the rise of temperature of the
ody. The cold produced by evap-
ration is great, for the loss of l
ram of water (by Precipitation and
vapOration through the lungs) in "a
ours he loses $50 iarge calories-i.
:, enough heat to lower the temper
ture of 116 pound of water 10 de-
rees.
This demonstrates the enormous
alue of evaporation through the
kin and lungs and the necessity for
eeping these organs in prime condi-
ion, especially during the warm
Teather, if we are to bear it in COM
Ort. 1t is obviously, then, a crime
gainst the body to overclothe it.