33 



I have performed, both alone, and with the help of Dr. 

 Tholozan, Physician of the Hospital Val-de-G-race at Paris, 

 numerous experiments, with the view of knowing whether Dr. 

 Edwards was right or not. I have found that the chilling of 

 one hand plunged in water at the temperature of freezing point, 

 acted very strongly on the temperature of the other hand. But, 

 at first, there is no regularity at all in the quantity of degrees 

 of temperature lost by the hand which remains out of the water; 

 and secondly, ^ye have found once that this hand did not lose 

 any fraction of its temperature. In one case we have observed 

 that the hand kept in the atmosphere did lose 22 F. (12 Cs.) 

 in seven minutes. The ordinary loss of temperature has been of 

 between 6 to 8 F. (3.33 to 4.44 Cs.) In one case there has 

 been only a loss of 2 F. (1.2 Cs.) In another case there has 

 been no loss, and, on the contrary, there has been an increase of 

 temperature of 1.4 F. (0.8 Cs.) 



If, like Edwards, we consider the loss of temperature of the 

 hand not plunged in water as a sign and as a measure of the 

 diminution of the general temperature of the body, we must 

 conclude, from our experiments, that the chilling of a small part 

 of the body may be unable to diminish the temperature of the 

 body sensibly, and that, in other cases, it may act extraordinarily 

 upon it. But the supposition that the hand kept in the atmos- 

 phere, was able to give a measure of the modification of the body 

 is incorrect. By taking the temperature of the mouth during the 

 time that one hand was dipped into very cold water, Dr. Tholo- 

 zan and myself have ascertained that the temperature of the 

 body does not sensibly change. The greatest diminution of the 

 temperature of the mouth has been nearly 1 F. (O p .6 Cs.), 

 and this only in one case. In that experiment in which the 

 hand not plunged in water lost 22 F. (12 Cs.), the tempe- 

 rature of the mouth was not diminished more than the fifth of 

 a Fahr. degree. 



As it is quite certain that the temperature of the body is con- 

 stantly changing, it is easy to understand why we do not find a 

 small but a constant diminution in the temperature of the 

 mouth when one hand is subjected to a notable chilling. When, 

 under the unknown influences that are constantly modifying the 

 temperature of the body, there is a tendency to increase that 



