The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1925-01-29
TRE PSYCHOLOGICAL ZERO.
Temperature at Which Human Body
Feels No Sensation.


Feels No Sensation.
This name is given, by certain wrftr
ers on the subject, to the tempera-
ture ct which the human body feels
no sensation Of heat or cold. 1t
might be supposed that It would CO.
incide in all cases with that OF the
body itself, but according to the re-
cent experiments Of Mr.. Maurel, q
French psychologist, it is several de-
grees lower, and varies with the ma
ture Of the surrounding medium, be-
ing lower in air than in water. Mr..
Maurel determined his physiological
zero" by immersing his body in baths
Of different temperatures, but he does
not seem to have measured his own
body surface temperature directly, re-
lying instead on the records OF meas
urements made by various earlier au-
thorities. This and the fact that he
has neglected to take various neces-
sary precautions makes his results
somewhat doubtful, in the opinion OF
Henry Pieron, who criticises them
thus In the Revue Scientifique:
mfr. Maurel placed himself in baths
of water or air at different tempera-
lures, and noted between what de-
grees he realized the sought for state
of indifference. He did the same for
the variations Of temperature between
the skin and the clothes, which he
calls the 'subvestiaI temperature ana
for the temperature of the body in
bed, which he names 'cubilial temper
ature.' And he finds that the cutar
neous physiological zero lies practical
" between 80 degrees and 33 degrees
(86 degrees and 81 degrees Esd he
even seeks to differentiate the trunk
and the lower limbs, whose physiolo-
gical zero he finds to be slightly low
or. In general the range of zero is
/ degree to 3 degrees e. degrees to
1 degrees FL.
''He also concludes that there Is a
relation between the physiological
zero and the surface temperature OF
each organ, which latter is about 8
degrees (51s degrees F.) higher than
zero. But were any new experiments
necessary to show that the sensation
Of indifference depends on the surface
temperature of the body?
1.-THE same medium should appear
Icy or broiling to the fever patient,
as his surface temperature oscillates.
And as the sensations of heat or cold
correspond to an exit or entrance or
heat, the contact that assures thermic
equilibrium should assure also state
of sensorial indifference.
"At first sight 1t would appear odd
that one should experience sensa-
ton Of heat when the external temper
allure is identical with his own surface
temperature. And, in fact, exact ex-
periments In thermo- esthesiometry
have shown that in certain spots on
the hand, for instance, drop of water
at the same temperature is not felt.
! But the surface temperature is only
cross between the internal and ex.
ternal temperature, adapting itself to
this double influence by a capricious
regulating mechanism under the direct
but obscure action Of the nervous sys-
tenn.
Hence the phenomena Of calorific
radiation toward the exterior or inte-
rior, which provoke our sensations OF
heat or cold, may respond to numer-
GUS and imperfectly determined fac
tors, Influenced by pressure, humidity,
ETC., from outside, and by bodily
chemical actions. the conductibility OF
the tissues, etc., from inside.
THUS, though rather astonishing,
Maurel's conclusion that the physiolo-
gical zero Is lower than the surface
temperature cannot be attacked, except
on the basis of new experiments"