236 DR SUTHERLAND SIMPSON ON 
with the greatest difficulty was defecation ; for a few it took about a week before this 
occurred at the usual time, for one (rarely quite free, however, from indisposition) 
it took even till the end of the experiment.” The return to the normal routine 
was made in the same way as the reversal. The period of complete reversal lasted 
eleven days. 
Although readings for the seven hours of sleep were not taken, the curves of all 
point to reversion. In those who had dittculty in becoming accustomed to the altered 
routine there is delay in the adaptation of the temperature curve to the changed 
conditions, but ultimately “in all cases the fundamental type is evident, and the causes 
of the departures present are obvious. All of them tend to show that the curve of 
temperature variations is determined by work and mode of living, that the astronomical 
division of day and night is without importance in this regard, and that an inherited 
form is consequently out of the question, a mysterious periodicity even more so.” 
Ill. Present INVESTIGATION. 
‘The writer happened to be present when Professor OsBoRNE made his communication 
at a meeting of the Physiological Society in London on January 25, 1908, and being 
especially interested in the subject of body temperature, he was struck by the fact that 
no one had ever thought of adopting the procedure described by OsBorne before. At 
that time it did not seem probable that the opportunity would ever present itself to 
the writer of repeating the work of OsBorNzE, which was admittedly somewhat frag- 
mentary and inconclusive, but circumstances came about which made this possible a 
year later. 
In the summer of 1909 a journey was undertaken from Ithaca, in the western part 
of the State of New York, eastward to Edinburgh, and after a six weeks’ stay in 
Scotland, westward again from Edinburgh to Winnipeg. As the local time of Edinburgh 
is about five hours in advance of Ithacan time and over six hours ahead of Winnipeg 
time, in a rapid journey between these places the daily routine would, within a few 
days, undergo a considerable modification although it would not be completely reversed. 
At that time I did not know of Grpson’s work, nor, in fact, until I arrived in Edinburgh, 
when I had the privilege of reading his paper. ) 
It was planned to make, as far as possible, three-hourly observations on the 
temperature of the rectum, mouth, and axilla during the waking hours throughout the 
voyage. In order to obtain the daily temperature curve in Ithaca for comparison, the 
observations were begun one week before starting on the journey eastward. It was 
found that the steepest grade on the curve took place between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., and 
in this interval readings were taken more frequently. The subject (the writer 
himself) was forty-six years of age, measured 5 feet 104 inches in height, weighed 
205 pounds, and was of stout build. He was in perfect health throughout the 
whole experiment. 
