70 APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY 



Seeing that the direct effect of heat upon the cells is to 

 stimulate and accelerate their katabolism much as the 

 growth of plants is stimulated in a hothouse it would 

 seem to be inevitable that, when the temperature of the 

 blood rises, tissue waste must be increased. A good 

 example of this is seen in the case of the heart, the rate 

 of contraction of which is increased by eight beats per 

 minute for every rise above the normal temperature of 

 1 F. Fever per se has therefore a destructive effect on 

 the cells of the body, whether it be primarily due chiefly 

 to an increased production of heat, to a diminution in 

 heat loss, or to a disturbance of the normal balance 

 between the two. 



If it be desired to lower the temperature in fever, the 

 easiest means of doing so is to increase the amount 

 of heat loss, for this is more under our control than heat 

 production. Cold baths, for instance, act by removing 

 heat from the surface by conduction; sudorifics, by 

 increasing evaporation. On the other hand, we know of 

 but few drugs which diminish the amount of heat pro- 

 duced in the body. Alcohol in large doses appears to do 

 so, probably from its paralyzing effect upon the cells, 

 and quinine seems to have a similar action. Antipyrine 

 and other antipyretics of the same class appear to raise 

 heat loss by dilating the surface bloodvessels, and so 

 increasing the amount of radiation from the body, whilst 

 at the same time they seem to have some action on the 

 heat-regulating centres whereby they overcome the dis- 

 organization of those centres which play a leading part 

 in the production of fever. 



