The Washington times., 1922-06-11

hASo WesSs
A. a race We were born along
tho equator and raised In the fierce.
throbbins glare and sizzling steam
box Of the tropics. ...
Compared with which. anything
We are called on to facs In the
temperate u little more than joke.
All We need TO do 10 to draw on
our ancestral resources and power
Of survival and II our surface
sprinkler and perspiration spray In
In proper working order We can
throw off the brotiing heat like
salamanders.
OUR WONDERFUL PLANT.
Our heat-resulatins plant" is
one of the most wonderful and ex-
quisitely efficient mechanisras Of
the body.
II keeps . hawk-iike. sleepless
eye upon the amount Of heat pro-
ducsd in the body by our life ac-
tivttiss. muscular work. growth.
chemical mstabolism, and opens
ana closes the balancing safety
valve according to the outside tam
peraturs.
The safety valve consists first
Of dtiating the huge mesh net
work OF surface blood vessels Just
under the slkin. capable Of holding
half the blood In the body. % a. TO
cool the hot blood BY direct escape
Of heat into the surrounding air.
Second. Of spraying water
through the sweat glands and pores
out on to the surface Of the skin
10 cool It by evaporation.
LABYRINTH OF TUBES.
At average temperatures in the
temperate zone. say from IS to rs
degrees. It has a good working mar
gin both ways. plenty Of heat to
spare over and above the necessary
90 degrees room temperature" in
the body. and plenty Of heat.
escape power. both cooling and
water-coolins. Franklin and Ford.
In fact. the labyrinth Of tubes.
graings and honey combs In the
radiator Of an auto IL not At an un.
like the jersey-knit mesh Of tiny
veins. arteries and capillaries In
our skin. and for exactly the same
purposes-to keep. the cylinders
from over-heating.
In the lower temperatures o
winter this margin Of heat to spare
II used up and the body has to call
upon thick clothing. more food and
fires in the house to check the
escape Of heat and restore balance
RESOURCEFUL MECHANISM.
In summer the boot is on the
other foot and the body's concern
10 to get rid Of the surplus heat
over and above that required for
house.warming purposes.
But we have astoundingiy astuts
and resourceful mechanism in our
little interiors.
Once let the thermometer regis
ter 80 degrees in the shade and
It pumps half the blood in our
bodies out into our radiators. our
surface blood-vessels, until we
redden and glow and puff up like
turkey cocks.
Ten degrees higher and open
opme all the pores and water bub-
bles out all over our slistening,
sweat.beaded surfaces, cooling US.
Off faster than Old Sol can heat US
up. a.
How much faster and what .
wide margin Of safety We have,
may be gathered from what our
heat-regulating centsr can do
whom its put upon its mettis,
starts out for . record, 90 70
speak.
INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.
Such extraordinary tempera-
lures could be endured without in
Jury by men working in blast fur
naces. smelters and rolling mills
that one day q group Of scientists
studying the problems Of animal
body.heat decided to make an en-
durance test.
Volunteers were called FOR and .
group Of vigorous young men In
perfect health were placed In .
chamber whose temperature could
be raised at will. and submitted
to higher and higher degrees Of
heat.
Plenty Of time was taken to
allow them to adjust themselves TO
the increasing heat, until finally
at the end Of two weeks training
they were able to sit, move about
and even take hight exercise with.
out much discomfort, or any in.
furious effect whatever in a tenn
psrature Of $50 degrees!-only 80
dskrees below the boiling point.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-
nero in the fisry furnace wore al