TEMPERATURE

of tho skin in different parts of tho body varies widely, but tho temperature of the decper organs remains remarkably constant. This constancy is maintained by the nervous system which regulates the proce of heat formation and of heat loes. A rise of temperature Sy due to le heat being lost and not, as one w expect, to an increase in the amount of heat aa « A reduction both in the quantity of blood sup to the skin and in the amount of perspiration, check the lo of heat and thus cause a rise of temperaturo. The normal temperature of the mouth or armpit is, on tho average, 98°6° F. In the rectum it is half a degree higher. There is a daily variation of temperature; it is lowest in the early morning, ne in the evening; it ranges between 97°6° F. and 99°6° F. These variations of temperature are often mistaken for signs of illne . In illne the dail variation is usually greater, and is present even in high fever. Illncas more often sonds the temperature up than down. In nervous people and children, trifling causes, wed i the disturbance or emotion, send it up much moro; than in the averago man. Inflammation causes a rise of temperature unle it is so intense that the patient is prostrated, when death may occur with a temperature that is at or below normal. The infectious fevers, with rare exceptions, cause a rise of temperature; diphtheria is unaccompanied by a rise of temperature more often than any other infectious discase. A temperature above 105° or below 96° is dangerous to life and requires active treatment. (Sce Baths, Collapse]. To take the temperature requires care. A clinical ther- 2 -- ¢ momoter is required; tho ee must be shaken down till it is Bix ii 98° F. before the temperature is taken. The thermometer should be left in position rath or longer than tho time it is suppozed to requiro; a quarter minute thermometor should ie left half a minute, and a three minute one five minutes. If the temperature is taken in the armpit, the ekin must first bo dricd, and after the thermometer has been placed under the arm, the elbow should be drawn well acro the chest and kept there. If the temperature is taken in the mouth, the thermometer must be leead under the tongue and be held by the lips, so that no air can pa to and fro through the mouth. In children it is unwise to take the temperature in the mouth; the groin is with them the most convenient, the thigh being bent well up on to the abdomen. Tho most accurate results are obtained in the rectum, and in most sanatoria for consumptives the temperature is taken in this way. After the temperature has est i taken it should be written down at once and the thermometer should then be washed: in cold water and placed in a disinfectant for a few minutes.; Malingerers rub the thermometer between the blankets - or expose it to the fire; boys in boarding-schools and hysterical women also are apt to dc this if not watched. [s. 416]