Applied Physiology; Including the Effects of Alcohol and Narcotics Volume 2 (English, French, Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1898 edition. Excerpt: ...and move, and work. Oxidation takes place in every cell of the body, but most of the fat is oxidized in the cells of the lungs, and most of the sugar in the cells of the liver. Muscle cells also produce a great deal of heat when they work. The body has the power of making its fires burn high or low as its work needs, but its own warmth always remains the same. A thermometer shows its temperature to be 98.5 degrees F., whether we feel warm or cold. 175. The feeling of heat and cold.--We sometimes feel very warm and again very cold, but our bodies always have the same degree of heat. We feel warmth mostly in the skin. So if the skin is warm, we feel warm all over, but if it is cold, we feel chilly all over. In fevers a sick person often feels very cold, for his skin may be cold while his body may really be in a hot fever. 176. How the body varies the heat.--When we work hard, we need a great deal more heat than when we are still. In winter we also need much heat to warm the body, while in summer we need but little. So we must vary the amount of heat. We can do this by varying our food. Fat makes a great deal of heat. So in winter we like fat meat. In summer we do not like fat so well, but prefer fruit. This has little fat, but a great deal of sugar, which produces less heat. In winter we eat more food than in summer. When we move about, we are warmer than when we keep still. So in winter we feel like working, for we need the heat of exercise to keep ourselves warm. 177. How the skin gives off heat.--The body has a temperature of 98.5 degrees F. A room at this warmth would seem hot to us. Even 80 degrees F. is too warm. 70 degrees F. seems about right. This is only a little more than half way between freezing and the warmth of our body. So...