216 THE HEAT OF THE BODY 



cold. 1 In general, the shoulders and neck should be but 

 lightly covered. Properly to protect the head, a light 

 covering in the shape of a thin hood is also desirable, 

 especially for children, who often cover their heads with 

 the bed clothes to keep them warm and so half smother 

 themselves. 



Fall in body temperature. When the body has been 

 exposed to cold or wet without proper protection, the 

 loss of heat may be so great that in spite of the body's 

 effort to increase its heat production, its temperature 

 falls to 94 or even 90. When the body is chilled, the 

 blood-vessels in the skin and the extremities contract. 

 The extra blood which no longer circulates freely in the 

 exposed parts collects in the large veins, especially those 

 of the abdomen. Under these conditions, the tempera- 

 ture of the skin may be almost if not quite at the freez- 

 ing point, since its sole supply of warmth, the blood, is 

 withdrawn. The quickest relief is afforded by a hot 

 drink, such as soup, tea, coffee, chocolate, or hot milk, 

 which adds heat to the body and stimulates the nerve 

 control to relax the blood-vessels of the skin and ex- 

 tremities. The warm blood passing freely to the skin 

 raises it at once to a more normal temperature. The 

 nerve ends in the skin are also warmed by the return- 

 ing blood current, and as a result, the person feels warm 

 and comfortable. 



Alcohol. Alcohol is sometimes used to overcome chill, 

 but, unlike a hot nutritious drink, it has no heat to fur- 

 nish the body. Moreover, it dilates the blood-vessels in 

 the skin, and as a result the blood rushes so strongly to 

 the surface of the body that a false sense of warmth 



1 This leads to curling up in bed, which in children frequently 

 results in such bodily deformities as round shoulders, flat chests, 

 or even spinal curvature. 



