2134 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



body, bereft of it, presents inertia, the configuration of "shrunk 

 death," the evidence of having lost something physical that 

 was in it when it lived. 5 A, October, 1871, 379. 



INFLUENCE OF HEAT ON THE HUMAN BODY. 



Dr. Craig, of the Medical Service of the United States Army, 

 prosecuted some experiments during the hot summer of 1870, 

 as published in the American Journal of Science, in reference 

 to the influence of external physical conditions upon the tem- 

 perature of the human body. The highest bodily tempera- 

 ture observed by him during that time was 99.7 Fahr. He 

 states that below 99 he did not feel uncomfortably hot ; but 

 when 99.2 was reached, then the sensation of suffering from 

 heat came on. By the prolonged use of the shower-bath he 

 was able to reduce his temperature to 97.7 in the hottest 

 weather, which constituted a very great amelioration of his 

 sensations. He concluded that the discomfort we feel in hot 

 weather is not from the heat on the surface, but from the sec- 

 ondary effect of heating the whole body. Should the inter- 

 nal heat of the body be raised above 100, he thinks that ap- 

 oplexy and sun-stroke would be quite likely to supervene. 

 Judging from some experiments recorded elsewhere,Dr. Craig 

 thinks that a reduction of the temperature as low as 88 Fahr., 

 by external application of cold, is as great as it is safe to ven- 

 ture upon. 4 D, November, 1871, 330. 



EFFECT OF HEAT ON ANIMALS. 



Professor Bernard, of Paris, has lately published a report 

 of a series of experiments instituted by hini in regard to the 

 effect of heat upon animals, in the course of which he shows 

 that in all cases exposure to high temperature produces an 

 increase in the rapidity of the action of the heart ; that the 

 animal's breathing becomes hurried ; and that, after a certain 

 period, whion is more quickly attained in birds than in mam- 

 mals, the heart, if the temperature be sufficiently high, stops 

 suddenly, the whole temperature of the animal being at the 

 same time raised several degrees above its standard temper- 

 ature. 



On placing a bird or rabbit in the cage used for the exper- 

 iments, the air of which was about 150 Fahr., and dry, anxie- 

 ty was quickly manifested, the respirations became tumultu- 



