TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS IN THE HUMAN RODY. 



ARTIFICIAL CAVITIES. 



Axilla. In addition to the natural cavities of the body, there are certain 

 artificial cavities which can be formed by a movement of the limbs, or the 

 folds of the skin, the most important being the axilla. In the normal position 

 of the arm, the axilla provides a natural cavity which needs only to be care- 

 fully closed in order to approximate an interior cavity of the body. The 

 axilla is, however, for a good part of the time exposed to a temperature envi- 

 ronment not far from 32 C.,i. e., the surface temperature of the body, instead 

 of 37 C, that of the interior of the body. The presence of moisture, sweat 

 glands, and hair all combine to make this cavity somewhat difficult to use. 



Groin. Another locality which has been found of great value is the groin. 

 Particularly is this useful in taking the temperature of small infants when 

 clinical thermometers can not be used in either the mouth or the rectum for 

 fear of breakage. Unless subjects are emaciated, it may also be used very 

 satisfactorily with adults after the cavity has become warmed to the tempera- 

 ture of the body. 



Other cavities. Other artificially prepared cavities may be secured by 

 crossing the legs, the temperature being taken inside of the thighs; and by 

 holding the thermometer between the two hands, and obtaining the tem- 

 perature of the palms. These cavities, however, are not generally used for 

 measuring the body-temperature in either medical practice or physiological 

 experimenting. 



SURFACE TEMPERATURE. 



The temperature of the exposed surface of the body can be taken at any 

 point, but, as has already been stated, such observations present many diffi- 

 culties. Any form of thermometer that may be used is not only subject to the 

 temperature of the body, but also to that of the cooler outside environment; 

 and while this discrepancy may be somewhat lessened by artificial warming, 

 such measures are at best unsatisfactory and inaccurate. Again, if the ther- 

 mometer is firmly fastened to the body, there is liable to be a local conges- 

 tion, especially if the area of the thermometer is large, and the functions 

 of the sweat glands, both underneath the thermometer and in its immediate 

 vicinity, may be somewhat disturbed. 



BASE-LINE IN MEASURING BODY-TEMPERATURE. 



An examination of these different possibilities or localities for taking the 

 temperature of the body shows immediately that those least affected by 

 environmental changes are the natural cavities in the body, i. e., the rectum, 

 the vagina, and the mouth, the records obtained in the rectum being commonly 

 considered the best suited as a base-line for all observations. 



ERRORS IN RECTAL-TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT. 



In thus using the rectal-temperature as the base-line, it is necessary to take 

 into consideration the possible errors affecting the measurements made in the 



