TEMPERATURE OF NEWLY-BORN CHILDREN. 437 



ture during the first few days of its existence is a degree lower than that of the 

 adult. It must also be mentioned, however, that all these observations were 

 made during the winter, and that possibly the external atmosphere may have a 

 greater effect on the temperature of the child than on that of the adult. I have 

 never had the opportunity to repeat them during the warm weather of summer. 



How are these pecularities to be accounted for? Why should the child's 

 temperature fall so rapidly, and to such an extent, immediately after birth? 

 And why should it, on recovering from this temporary depression, still be lower 

 than that of the adult ? 



(a.) That the child at birth should have the same temperature as the mother 

 is what would naturally be expected. Considering the close connection which 

 exists between them, and the manner in which the child is nourished by the 

 mother, it could not well be otherwise. The circumstance calls for no explana- 

 tion whatever. 



(b.) With regard to the peculiar range of the first few hours of the child's sepa- 

 rate existence, it is quite different ; and we have now to inquire why it is that the 

 child's temperature should fall so rapidly, and to such an extent, immediately after 

 birth. It is probable that the sudden change from the high temperature of the 

 womb to the low temperature of the external air exercises to some extent a chilling 

 influence on the child — an influence which it can the less resist, and with the 

 more difficulty recover from, in consequence of the peculiarities of its circulatory 

 system allowing of the passage of so much venous blood into the arterial circu- 

 lation. That, however, is not of itself sufficient to account for a fall so sudden, 

 so great, and of so short duration; for assuredly, if that were the sole cause, 

 recovery from a very low range so produced would be a much slower process 

 than it is. There must be some other and more powerful agent at work ; and 

 this we have in the first necessary act of the child's independent existence — 

 respiration. I believe that the passage of air into the lungs has at first a 

 refrigerating influence, and is the chief, if not the sole, agent in producing the 

 great and sudden fall which takes place immediately after birth. This explana- 

 tion is to a certain extent borne out by what was observed in one case in which 

 the child was apparently still-born, and in which considerable difficulty was 

 experienced in inducing the respiratory act. The temperature in the rectum 

 half an hour after birth (immediately after respiration was established) was 

 98°'3 ; in the next half-hour it fell to 92°6. The state of the child at birth was 

 such that attention was directed solely to the respiration, and until that was 

 right tHe temperature was not taken. Just before delivery, however, the mother's 

 stood at 100°, so that the child's may with propriety be supposed to have been 

 100°-7 in the rectum. In ordinary cases, in which breathing commenced at once, 

 the mean fall during the first half hour was in full-grown healthy children 5°-2, 

 and during the second half hour l°-4. In this case it was during the first half 



