AND ANIMAL LIFE. 197 



CCXXI. I now proceed to show, that the heat 

 of the body, in different stages of disease, is not a 

 certain indication of the extent to which it is gene- 

 rated. When the system has been violently exer- 

 cised or exposed to great heat, the increased quan- 

 tity of this principle produced is invariably dissipa- 

 ted by cutaneous perspiration and pulmonary eva- 

 poration. The reason of this is evident, the capilla- 

 ries are in a healthy condition ; and, whenever they 

 are excited under these circumstances, they rea- 

 dily discharge the superabundance of caloric, and 

 prevent the system from being oppressed by its 

 accumulation. When the body is suffering from 

 continued fever, the truly inflammatory symp- 

 toms have subsided ; in other words, the excited 

 action of diseased organs no longer stimulates the 

 respiratory functions to increased energy. From 

 the slowness of the respirations, or their incom- 

 pleteness, the inactivity of the patient, the pau- 

 city and derangement of the secretions, the al- 

 most perfect repose of the assimilating functions, 

 the disturbance of the intellectual faculties, and 

 from other co-existing disorders, it is manifest 

 that less heat at this time is generated, and yet 

 the temperature of the body is at times several 

 degrees above its natural standard. 



CCXXII. If we take into consideration that 

 the uniformity of animal temperature is maintain- 

 ed by the balance of two opposite powers, viz. 



