On the normal temperature of the body in infancy and childhood / by James Patterson Cassells, M.D., M.R.C.S., Lond.

  • Cassells, James Patterson, 1837-1884.
Date:
1867
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the normal temperature of the body in infancy and childhood / by James Patterson Cassells, M.D., M.R.C.S., Lond. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    diagram No. 4, beautifully show the increase and decrease in the activity of the vital processes. The sudden increase of temperature on the mornings of the 8th, 14th, and 20th June, can only be explained by a reference to the variableness of the causes which sustain animal heat in infants, and to the condition of the skin, and the completeness with which it performs its functions, as well as the nature of the food and clothing of the child. Professor Aitken, of Netley, under whose notice some of these experiments have been brought, has kindly suggested that the temperature be taken at mid-day, that being the period of maximum vital power. No doubt is entertained of the result; the temperature would be higher than in the morn- ing or evening, but still under the temperature of adult life, as will be seen on referring to diagram No. 2, wherein the heat of the body in health at mid-day is recorded. A series of testing observations were taken in the months of July and August, for the purpose of proving the experiments recorded in diagTam No. 4. They are represented in diagi'am No. 5, and were taken on the same child, if possible with greater care.; more time being taken with each experiment. In those taken in the morning, both thermometers were used at the same time, one in each groin. Those taken in the even- ings had the ordinary curved thermometer in the axilla and Phillip's Maximum in the groin at the same time, the condi- tions for this series being the same as in the former experiments. The attention is at once arrested by the great discrepancies between the temperature recorded on the mornings of the 5th and the 7th August, and the evenings of the 11th and 30th July, for which no plausible explanation can be given. It is clearly not attributable to any error in the experiment, the greatest care having been taken to avoid mistakes. In this series of experiments—Phillip's Maximum— The highest morning temperature with co-relation Temp, Resp. Pulse. of respiration and pulse was, dSi 24 120 The lowest morning temperature, &c., . 97 26 114 The highest evening temperature, &c., . 97^ 25 100 The lowest ... 96i 23 106