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IV. — Observations on the Normal Temperature of the Monkey and its Diurnal 

 Variation, and on the Effect of Changes in the Daily Routine on this Variation. 

 By Sutherland Simpson, M.D., D.Sc, and J. J. Galbraith, M.D. (From the 

 Physiological Laboratory of Edinburgh University.) Communicated by Professor 

 E. A. Schafer, F.R.S. (With a Plate.) 



(MS. received October 25, 1905. Read November 20, 1905. Issued separately January 23, 1906.) 



PART I. 



Introduction. 



The observations recorded in the following pages were begun upwards of four years 

 ago. In the course of an investigation into the anatomy and physiology of the central 

 nervous system of the monkey, it was deemed necessary, amongst other things, to note 

 whether the lesions established had influenced the temperature of the affected limbs. 

 On consulting the chapter on "Animal Heat" by Pembrey in Schafer's Text-book of 

 Physiology, and Richet's article " Chaleur," in the Dictionnaire de Physiologie to find 

 what the normal temperature of the monkey was, it was discovered that very few 

 observations on the temperature of this animal had been made. Considering the high 

 position which the monkey occupies in the animal scale, it seemed to us that this was 

 an omission which we might with advantage do something to remedy ; we decided 

 therefore to avail ourselves of the material at our disposal, and to record the tempera- 

 ture of such healthy monkeys as should come into the laboratory from time to time. 



■ 



Methods Adopted in taking the Temperature. 



Readings were taken from the rectum and axilla, and in some cases from the groin 

 as well. An accurate one-half-minute Kew-certificated clinical thermometer was 

 employed. It was held in position 1\ minutes, and in the rectum was always intro- 

 duced to the same depth (from 5 to 6 centimetres) in each case, well within the 

 internal sphincter, in order to obtain comparable readings. In the axilla the bulb of 

 the thermometer was pushed up as far as possible into the apex, the stem lying against 

 and parallel with the long axis of the upper arm, which was then held gently against 

 the side of the animal, thus converting the axilla practically into a closed cavity. 

 When the groin temperature was taken the proceeding was similar, but it was found to 

 be very inconvenient as compared with the axilla, and it was given up. 



The animals — ordinary macaque monkeys (rhcesus and sinicus) — were for the most 

 part young adults, but a considerable number were probably not full grown. The 

 sources from which they came could not be determined with certainty. They were 



TRANS. ROY. SOC. EDIN., VOL. XLV. PART I. (NO. 4). 9 



