824 ANIMAL HEAT. 



Eichet l has collected three cases in which the temperature rose to 

 46, but the patients recovered. Numerous other cases of high 

 temperature in man are to be found scattered throughout medical 

 literature. 2 



Experiments upon animals have determined more exactly the limit of 

 high temperature. Bernard 3 found that when the internal temperature 

 of rabbits was artificially raised to 45 they died ; in birds the fatal 

 limit was 51 or 52. According to this physiologist, death was due to 

 stoppage of the heart by the hot blood, which sent the muscle into rigor 

 mortis. Eosenthal 4 obtained similar results for rabbits, but found that 

 if the animal was removed to cooler surroundings when its temperature 

 had reached 44, recovery might takeplace. From these and similar ex- 

 periments by Obernier, 5 Wood, 6 and others, it may be concluded that a 

 bodily temperature of 45 is extremely dangerous, and one of 47 quickly 

 fatal, to the life of mammals. The limit of high temperatures appears 

 to be fixed by the point at which the proteids of the body begin to 

 coagulate. 



THE TEMPERATURE OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BODY. 



The heat of the body is produced by processes of combustion taking 

 place chiefly in the muscles and glands, while heat is lost chiefly from the 

 surface of the skin. The result, therefore, is that the temperature of 

 the body diminishes from the interior to the surface. It is impossible, 

 however, to give any exact value to the temperature of different parts, 

 because the production and loss of heat vary under different conditions 

 of the animal, such as muscular activity and digestion. 



The temperature of internal parts in man. In considering this 

 subject, it is important to remember that the temperature taken by a 

 thermometer placed in a dry, well-closed axilla represents the heat of 

 an internal cavity ; Einger and Stuart 7 even state that, " due care 

 being taken and sufficient time allowed, the temperature of the axilla 

 is always identical with that of the mouth, and with that of the rectum 

 four to six inches above its termination." 



Upon the respective temperatures of the mouth, axilla, and rectum, 

 there is a great want of agreement among observers. This is in great 

 part due to the fact that in numerous cases insufficient time is allowed 

 for the determination of temperature in the mouth and axilla ; but there 

 is another cause, which is beyond the control of the observer the 

 circulation of blood in the mouth and in the skin of the axilla is liable 

 to marked variations. It will be well, therefore, to mention the dis- 

 cordant results obtained, and then draw some general conclusion. As 

 just mentioned, Einger and Stuart state that the temperature in the 

 axilla is identical with that of the mouth and rectum ; Ogle 8 says that 



1 Compt. rend. Soc. de UoL, Paris, 1894, p. 416. 



2 Hale "White, Brit. Med. Journ., London, 1894, vol. ii. p. 1093. Here numerous 

 references will be found. See also Trans. Glin. Soc. London, 1882, vol. xv. p. 261. 



3 Gaz. med. de Paris, 1859, tome xiv. p. 462; " Leeons sur la chaleur animale," 

 p. 349. 



4 " Zur Kenntniss der Warmeregulirung bei den warmbliitigen Thieren." Erlangen, 

 1872, S. 15. 



5 " Der Hitzschlag," Bonn, 1867, S. 71. 



6 "Fever," Smithson. Contrib. Knowl., Washington, 1880, No. 357. 



7 Proc. Roy. Soc.. London, 1877, vol. xxvi. p. 186. 



8 St. George* sHosp. Rep., London, 1866, vol. i. p. 233. 



