Chapter 13 



TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY IN RELATION TO THE 



THERMAL INTERCHANGE BETWEEN THE HUM4N 



BODY AND THE ENVIRONMENT 



L. P. HERRINGTON 

 Yale University and the John B. Pierce Foundation 



AND 



J. D. HARDY 



Cornell University Medical College 



A Foreword on the Habitability of Submarines 



A Review of the Physiological Problems 



Eugene F. DuBois 



Professor of Physiology, Cornell University Medical College, Capt. (MC) USNR (Ret) 



The physiological problems connected 

 with submarines are numerous and the 

 publications concerning them extensive. In 

 order to make these publications available 

 the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery of the 

 Navy Department issued in February 1948 a 

 comprehensive bibliography and review 

 compiled by Cmdr. Ebbe C. Hoffi (MC) 

 USNR, who not only assembled the refer- 

 ences but added a review of each important 

 subject. 



Commander Hoff's book covers the field 

 so well that it is only necessary here to 

 mention most of the problems briefly. 

 There is one field, however, that could not 

 be treated in detail because the practical 

 developments were recent and not available 

 in the literature. This is the field of the 

 production of heat in the human body and 

 the loss of heat from its surface. Probably 

 the chief reason that it was not included 

 was the knowledge that a comprehensive 



1 HoFF, E. C. A bibliographical sourcebook of 

 compressed air, diving and submarine medicine. 

 Bur. Med. Surg., Navy Dept., Feb. 1948. 



volume on this subject was being assembled 

 by the National Research Council Commit- 

 tee on Clothing. Inasmuch as the publica- 

 tion of this book has been delayed Dr. 

 Herrington and Dr. Hardy were requested 

 to prepare the subject in such a form that 

 the principles and formulas would be avail- 

 able to engineers concerned with submarine 

 construction and ventilation. 



The most important factors in submarine 

 habitability are heat and humidity. The 

 production of heat in the human body, its 

 metabolism, involves the consumption of 

 oxygen and the production of carbon dioxide. 

 The loss of heat from the body depends upon 

 the temperature and humidity of the 

 environment. 



Under ordinary conditions of short sub- 

 mergences in temperate climates these 

 factors are hardly appreciated. It takes a 

 long submergence before the crew has in- 

 creased the CO2 or diminished the O2 in 

 the air to such an extent that the effects are 

 apparent. Arctic cruises point out the need 

 for added heating or clothing and the pre- 



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