58 



TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS IN THE HUMAN BODY. 



the two rectal thermometers from ll h 10 m a.m. to ll h 59 m a.m. can hardly be 

 explained in any other way. Similarly, at the beginning of the experiment a 

 temperature difference of approximately 0.6 C. between the two rectal records 

 appears to be due to the fact that the shallow rectal thermometer was not 

 inserted to so great a depth as was supposed. 



The measurements of the temperature are shown in fig. 28, the curves being 

 marked as in previous experiments. 



372 C 



37 



36.8 



36.6 



36.4 



36 2 



36.0 



35.8 



35.6 



8.30 A.M. 8.50 9 10 9.30 950 10.10 10 30 10 50 II 10 II 30 H 50 12.10 PM. 



Fig. 28. Temperature curves for experiment of January 24, 1911, with J. J. C; 10.59 a.m. to 11.03 a.m. 



drinking hot coffee. 



Experiment of January 27, 1911, with Mrs. B I. In this and all succeed- 

 ing experiments, compressed air was used to stir the water in the Dewar flask 

 in the constant-temperature oven. 



Two thermometers were used in the vagina, at a depth of 10 and 6.5 centi- 

 meters, respectively, and a thermometer in the rectum at a depth of 6 centi- 

 meters. In addition, a thermometer was placed in the groin and one in the 

 right axilla, and intermittent observations were made in the mouth. 



The curves for this experiment are interesting in that they show a period 

 of 3 hours in which the temperature in the vagina and the rectum did not 

 change more than approximately 0.1 C. The deep and shallow thermometers 

 in the vagina remained within 0.07 C. of each other throughout the whole test, 

 the records with the deep vagina thermometer being somewhat higher than 

 those with the shallow thermometer. The rectal temperature was slightly 

 higher than the vaginal temperature, the maximum deviation from the tem- 

 perature of the deep vagina being 0.07 C. It was observed that during this 

 experiment the rectal thermometer was embedded in feces. The thermometer 

 in the groin required about 20 minutes to reach constancy. The curves for 

 both the axilla and the groin temperatures follow in a general way the parallel 

 temperatures of the deeper thermometers, although the temperature fluctua- 



