The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-05-08
WARMTH and COLD
The Thermometer Verdict Is Very
Misleading at Times.
Temperature AND THE BODY

Mass of Mercury In a Glass Tube.
Do not let the thermometer fool You.
1t is a very deceptive instrument for
those who do not know how to use 1t
and sometimes for those who do, or
think they do.
You may glance at your thermom-
eter, hanging just outside the door.
some winter morning and see the mer-
curry standing ut zero. Phew! You
feel a shlver at the mere sight Of that
needle Of glacial metal, contracted
down almost to the bottom of its tube.
as IL seeking refuge, and glittering
there like q miniature icicle cut OF
short.
You wrap yourself up as for an arc
tic journey before venturing out. thrust
your gloved hands into your big over
coat pockets, put on your ear shields,
start on a run for your office or the
railroad station In order to get your
blood into a state Of defensive circu-
lation-and in two or three minutes
you are streaming with perspiration!
You turn down your collar, open your
coat and find that the air is, though
not exactly balmy, decidedly bracing
and agreeable.
Yet there hangs that thermometer.
steadily marking zerol
1t has deceived you, but still 1t has
told the truth-yet not the whole truth.
only the truth as 1t sees It 1t Is zero
weather for the thermometer, but 1t Is
not zero weather for you. Evidently
your body and the thermometer have
ment.
But a few days later perhaps you
look again at your thermometer on the
porch as you are about to go about
your business, and you find that 1t
marks a very comfortable sum Of de-
grees above zero. what might truly be
called balmy weather for winter. You
have forgotten the disagreement that
you had with the instrument Of sci
ence the other morning. and you bow
again confidingly to its decree. 1t says
the air is comfortably warm, and the
thermometer surely ought to know,
since It Is its sole business to measure
temperatures.
You leave of your heavy coat and
your wraps. bare your throat and
start bravely away for Office or sta
tion, trying to feel as genial as the
thermometer has assured you that the
weather is. But you are not halfway
to your destination before shiver
runs down your back, your nose be-
comes an icicle, your ears smart and
burn, and you begin to sneeze or
cough. You feel that you have laid
the foundation of a serious "cold."
which will probably put some money
In the pocket Of your neighbor, the
doctor.
But II, scared by the thought of
pneumonia, you will return home in
haste you will see as you glance at 1t
In passing that the thermometer on
the porch still stares you down with
its impudent assertions that the air
this morning is only moderately cold.
just about right temperature to be en-
joyable and healthful.
Now, where Is the origin Of the de-
ception and why are you warm when
the thermometer is cold and cold when
the thermometer Is warmf
The whole trouble arises from the
essential difference between simple
machine consisting of glass tube and
a little mercury and complicated liv-
ing body with Its multitude Of interre-
lated parts and functions. The ther-
mometer has only one way Of feeling
changes of temperature and only one
way Of responding to them-viz, by
either expansion or contraction Of the
liquid metal In its tube. The human
body Is a heat engine continually ra-
dating away the heat produced within
it by its vital processes, and Its princi-
pal means Of feeling changes Of tenn
perature occurring outside itself Is
through the different rates at which Its
Unborn heat is radiated away to sur
rounding objects or the surrounding
air.
When the air is dry on cold morn
ing there is little or no evaporation,
and the skin is not seriously affected
by the cold. But II the air is charged
with moisture the invisible water
drops evaporate on touching the skin
and by their evaporation abstract heat
from the body, which feels the result.
ing chill deep within. SO II the air is
still the cold does not penetrate, but IL
It is breezy new particles Of cold air
are continually swept against the skin
and more and more heat Is abstracted
from the body.-Garrett p. Serviss In
Spokane Spokesman Review.