Investigations into the conditions governing the temperature of the body. 9 



meter and scale, and at a suitable distance it is surrounded by some 

 insulating material, glass or ebonite. In giving the receiver of the 

 thermometer such a shape we obtain the greatest possible surface 

 of contact with the skin. 



The skin thermometer takes a considerably longer time to adjust 

 itself than the rectal thermometer. That used by me for readings 

 on the face alwaj'^s seemed to take about 5 minutes, of which I 

 have often convinced myself bj' control by means of a mirror; at 

 other places it may be much longer, up to 25 minutes. If certainty 

 cannot be reached by reading in a mirror or by direct control, the 

 thermometer ought to remain in its place for a longer period; but 

 as the temperature of the skin regulates itself to the outer tempera- 

 ture even more easily than that of the mouth, at any rate on the 

 uncovered parts of the skin, this must be remembered in the mea- 

 surements. To rub the receiver round and round on the skin, in 

 order to make the thermometer become more quickly adjusted, is 

 not advisable; OEHLER^ has followed this course but one is certainly 

 too sanguine in believing that such manipulations can be made 

 "without the circulation in the skin being affected". 



Metabolism and temperature. 



Although the relation between metabolism and rectal tem- 

 perature may be said to have been elucidated by the researches 

 especially of Swedish physiologists, Tigerstedt and his collaborators-, 



1 have made some respiration experiments at the different hours 

 of the day and calculated the amount of carbonic acid given off. 

 It appeared, namely, that my curve of variation for the rectal tem- 

 perature differed in several regards from that generally stated to be 

 the normal. The respiration experiments were made at intervals of 



2 hours from 7 a. m. to 9 p. m. During the experiment I lived 

 quietly and regularly, so that the curves correspond to day-curves 

 for days without bodily work. It became evident to me, as to 

 others, that if we draw a curve for the metabolic changes as mani- 

 fested by the amount of carbonic acid given off, and a curve for 

 the rectal temperature, the course followed by both these curves is 

 mainly the same; full agreement is not to be expected. The rectal 

 temperature is a local one and consequently subject to influences 

 which have no direct connection with the metabolic changes and 



1 Deutsches Archiv f. klin. Medizin, Vol. 80, 1904, p. 24Г). 



- Tigerstedt and Sonden: Skand. Archiv f. Physiologie О, 1895. Tigekstedt, 



Sonden, Laxdergren and Johansson: Skand. Archiv f. Physiologie 7. 1897. 



Johansson : ibid. 



