120 



PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NEW-BORN INFANT. 



cases the exposure during the bath was less than in this particular 

 instance. On the other hand, the exposure after birth was probably 

 much less with our infants than is usual in ordinary hospital practice 

 or in caring for the new-born child in the home. Accordingly we may 

 fairly conclude that when the infant is bathed in the usual way the 

 temperature during the first 24 hours is distinctly subnormal. 



That the environmental temperature plays a very great role in its 

 effect upon the body-temperature, particularly during the first day of 

 life, is also shown in certain of Hasselbalch's studies, in which the 

 recorded temperatures are frequently extraordinarily low. Thus in 

 table 1 he gives rectal temperatures as low as 32.8 C. and 33.4 C., while 

 in table 3 he gives two temperatures of 33.4 C. and 33.1 C. 1 



TABLE 21. Rectal temperature of an infant taken at frequent intervals during early hours 



after birth. 



of birth 4 h Ol m p. m. Bath (oiled first and then bathed in water at 102 F.) given 



between 4 h 20 m p. m. and 4 h 45 m p. m.; temperature of room 71 F. 

 'Placed in the respiration chamber at 4 h 58 m p. m. 



The observations made with our infants indicate that there is a dis- 

 tinct correlation between the body-temperature of the infant and the 

 total metabolism, for on the days with low body-temperature the total 

 metabolism was likewise low. Indeed, in some instances when the 

 records of the temperature distinctly indicated a supercooling, the 

 advisability of using certain of the data has been questioned. Since 

 it is seldom that we find these low temperatures other than on the first 

 day after birth, it is highly probable that they are due solely to the 

 exposure incidental to the birth, the subsequent bath, and other special 

 details of the care of a new-born infant. It is of peculiar significance, 

 therefore, that on the first day, when the low temperatures predominate, 

 we find likewise a somewhat lower metabolism per kilogram of body- 

 weight and per square meter of body-surface than on the subsequent 

 days, thus bearing out the contention that the metabolism is con- 

 siderably affected by the body-temperature. 



When we make a critical analysis of Hasselbalch's figures, however, 

 we find it impossible to determine precisely the influence of the body- 

 temperature upon the metabolism, for we have no evidence as to the 



'See pages 20 and 22. It should be stated here that Hasselbalch calls attention to the possible 

 errors in these observations. 



