THE SKIN 271 



is of course made to cooperate with other parts of the body. 

 That it is not the only organ concerned in regulating the 

 escape of heat is seen in the results that follow sensations 

 either of chilliness or of heat at the surface. 



Effects of Heat and Cold Sensations. Sensations, or 

 feelings, of heat and cold are made possible through the 

 nerves which connect the brain with the temperature 

 corpuscles, found in the skin (page 343). As the warm 

 blood recedes from the skin, a sensation of cold is felt, 

 but when the blood returns, there is again the feeling of 

 warmth. The sensation of cold prompts one to seek a 

 warmer place, or to put on more clothing; while the sensa- 

 tion of heat, if it be oppressive, leads to activities of an 

 opposite kind. Prompted in this way by the sensations from 

 the skin, one voluntarily supplies the external conditions, 

 such as clothing and heat, that affect the body temperature. 



Alcohol and the Regulation of Temperature. Alcohol, 

 through its effect upon the nervous system, interferes se- 

 riously with the regulation of the body temperature. By 

 dilating the capillaries, it increases the circulation in the 

 skin and leads to an undue loss of heat. At the same 

 time the excess of blood in the skin causes a feeling of 

 warmth which has led to the erroneous belief that alcohol 

 is a heat producer. If taken on a cold day, it deceives 

 one about his true condition and leads to a wasting of heat 

 when it should be carefully economized. Not only is 

 alcohol of no value in maintaining the body temperature, 

 but if taken during severe exposure to cold, it becomes a 

 menace to life itself. Arctic explorers and others exposed 

 to severe cold have found that they withstand cold far 

 better when no alcohol at all is used. 1 



1 " The story is told of some woodsmen who were overtaken by a severe snow- 

 storm and had to spend the night away from camp ; they had a bottle of whisky, 



