TEMPERATURE OF THE BOD Y AFTER DEATH. 867 



The causes of this post-mortem rise in temperature have been investigated 

 by various observers. 12 The most important factors are these. When the 

 circulation and respiration cease at death, the normal loss of heat from these 

 causes and from sweating also comes to an end, but the tissues live for a short 

 time and produce heat even after the death of the organism as a whole. If 

 this production of heat is greater than the loss of heat from the corpse, the 

 temperature rises ; if, on the other hand, it is less, then, the effect is only to 

 delay the fall of temperature. The next source of heat is in the muscles on 

 the onset of rigidity ; and, finally, when decomposition sets in, and this may 

 after some diseases occur exceedingly rapidly, there is a further production of 

 heat due to putrefaction. In some cases the temperature of a corpse does not 

 fall to that of the atmosphere even in four or five days. 13 



1 "Researches," London, 1839, vol. i. p. 228. 



-Ann. d. Char.-KranTcenJi. . . . zu Berlin, 1865, Bd. xiii. Heft 2, S. 1. 

 a Penn. Hasp. Rep., Philadelphia, 1868, vol. i. p. 369. 

 , 4 Arch. d. Heilk., Leipzig, 1861, Bd. ii. S. 547. 

 ' London Hosp. Rep., vol. iii. p. 454. 



6 CentralM.f. d. med. Wissensch., Berlin, 1866, No. 5. 



7 Brit. Med. Journ., London, 9th July 1870. 



8 Quoted from Valentin, Deutsches Arch. f. klin. Med., Leipzig, 1869, S. 201. 



9 Schmidt's Jahrb., Leipzig, 1868, Bd. cxxxix. S. 241. 



10 Deutsches Arch. f. klin. Med., Leipzig, 1879, Bd. xxiv. S. 284. 



11 Churchill, quoted from Hutchinson, Lancet, London, 1875, vol. i. p. 713. 



12 Besides those above enumerated, the following may be mentioned : Seume, Thesis, 

 Leipzig, 1856 ; Erb, Deutsches Arch. f. klin. Med., Leipzig, 1865 ; Thomas, Arch. d. Heiik., 

 Leipzig, 1868, Bd. ix. S. 17, 31 ; Goodhart, Brit. Med. Journ., London, 1874, vol. i. 

 p. 303 ; Huppert, Arch. d. Heilk., Leipzig, 1867. Bd. viii. S. 321 ; Fick and Dybkowsky 

 Vrtljschr. d. naturf. GeseUsch. in Zurich, 1867 ; Schiffer, CentralU.f. d. med. Wissensch. 

 Berlin, 1867. S. 849 ; Arch. f. Anat., Physiol. u. wissensch. Med., 1868, S. 442. 



13 The author is indebted to Drs. Haldane, Hale, White, and Waller for valuable 

 suggestions on various points, dealt with both in this and in the preceding article. 



