396 NUTRITION. 



lutely stationary. Nearly all observations made in this way 

 agree with the results obtained by Gavarret, 1 who estimates 

 that the temperature in the axilla, in a perfectly healthy 

 adult man, in a temperate climate, ranges between 97*7 

 and 99*5. a Dr. Davy, from a large number of observa- 

 tions on the temperature under the tongue, estimates the 

 standard, in a temperate climate, at 98. 3 When we ex- 

 amine the temperature of the blood in the deeper vessels 

 and the variations in different parts, we shall see that the 

 axilla and the tongue, being more or less exposed to external 

 influences, do not exactly represent the general heat of the 

 organism ; but these are the situations, particularly the axilla, 

 in which the temperature is most frequently taken, both in 

 physiological and pathological examinations. As a standard 

 for comparison, we may assume that the most common tem- 

 perature in these situations is 98, subject to variation within 

 the limits of health of about 0*5 below and 1*5 above. 



Variations with External Temperature. There can be 

 no doubt that the general temperature of the body varies, 

 though within very restricted limits, with extreme changes 

 in climate. The results obtained by Davy, in a large num- 

 ber of observations in temperate and hot climates, show an 

 elevation in the tropics of from 0*5 to 3. 4 It is well known, 

 also, that the human body, the surface being properly pro- 

 tected, is capable of enduring for some minutes a heat much 

 greater than that of boiling water. Under these conditions, 

 the general temperature is raised but very slightly, as com- 

 pared with the intense heat of the surrounding atmosphere. 

 According to the observations of Dr. Dobson, the tempera- 

 ture was only raised to 99*5 in one instance, 101*5 in an- 



1 GAVARRET, De la chaleur produite par Us etres vivants, Paris, 1855, p. 100. 



2 All the temperatures, unless it be otherwise stated, are given according to 

 the Fahrenheit scale. 



3 DAVY, Researches, Physiological and Anatomical, London, 1839, vol. i., p. 

 196. 



4 DAVY, loc. tit. 



