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Body Temperature

by DoDo
Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 11:04:13 AM EST

You learn something every day.

During my recent sickness, I thought of checking Wikipedia on a subject for which I came across conflicting data: body temperature. Well, Wiki doesn't bring total clarity either:

Normal human body temperature - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 1861, Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich claimed to measure the temperatures of one million people, and reported the average to be 37 °C.[1] In the United States, normal human body temperature is commonly quoted as 98.6 °F, which is an inappropriately exact conversion of Wunderlich's 19th century announcement that the human body temperature is 37 °C.[2] In Russia and former Soviet countries, the commonly quoted value is 36.6 °C (97.9 °F), based on an armpit reading.

...In humans the average temperature is 36.8 °C (98.2 °F)

...the median daytime temperature among healthy adults are as follows...

  • Temperature under the arm (axillary) is about 36.4 °C (97.6 °F) [2]

Fever - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

At a first glance, fever is present if...

  • Temperature under the arm (axillary) is at or over 37.2 °C (99.0 °F)

 I remembered the following standard values from my childhood:

  • normal body temperature: 36°C
  • "temperature uppage": normal~37.0°C (apparently this category doesn't exist in English; it's the borderline for which you don't get school resp. workday off)
  • fever: >37.0°C

...but, it seems my memory tricked me: even for axillary body temperature, all the values are higher.

  • normal body temperature: 36.6°C
  • "temperature uppage", - let's call it low fever -: 37.1~38.0°C
  • fever: >38.0°C

Maybe I mis-remembered because my normal (axillary) body temperature is only around 36.2°C (give or take 0.2 for diurnal variation), and I measured as low as 36.8°C when I was definitely un-well.

So, what is your normal temperature, what is the variation in the small sample of ET readers?

Also, what are the standard values and legal categories in various countries?

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Poll
My normal mean axillary body temperature is in the range...
. Less than 36,0°C 10%
. 36,0°C-36,25°C 30%
. 36,25°C-36,5°C 30%
. 36,5°C-36,75°C 20%
. 36,75°C-37,0°C 0%
. More than 37,0°C 10%

Votes: 10
Results | Other Polls
Display:
Body Temperature | 40 comments (40 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
Seed comment (none / 0)
Another tidbit I always wondered about:

Fahrenheit - Wikipedia

According to Fahrenheit himself in a journal article he wrote in 1724,[2] his scale is based on three reference points of temperature. The zero point is determined by placing the thermometer in a mixture of ice, water, and ammonium chloride, a salt. [...] He then put a thermometer into the mixture and let the liquid in the thermometer descend to its lowest point. The second point is the 32 degree found by putting the thermometer in still water as ice is just forming on the surface.[3] The third point, the 96 degree, was the level of the liquid in the thermometer when held in the mouth or under the armpit. [...]

Later, work by other scientists observed that water boils about 180 degrees higher than the freezing point and decided to redefine the degree slightly to make it exactly 180 degrees higher.[2] It is for this reason that normal body temperature is 98.6 on the revised scale (whereas it was 96 on Fahrenheit's original scale).[4]



*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 11:10:35 AM EST
You give me fever (4.00 / 2)


You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 11:44:02 AM EST
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
Further thoughts: according to national/cultural background, where does the thermometer get put?

(The British and the French, for instance, don't do it the same way at all...)

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 12:17:56 PM EST
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
Do you mean that in one culture, one doesn't do axillary measurement even for adults; or that they do axillary measurement differently?

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 12:50:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
...thinking about it, if I recall U movies correctly, adults put the thermometer into the mouth... heh, there go my assumptions of comparability.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 12:52:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
There may be people who do this differently, but temperatures are taken rectally in France.

Not very British. Axillary or buccal, more like it.

Then there are the things you can stick on the forehead, but I heard they were imprecise. And isn't there an auricular thermometer?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 01:02:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
temperatures are taken rectally in France.

Ah. In Hungary and I believe most of Germany too, only for children.

And isn't there an auricular thermometer?

I also learnt from Wiki that measurements in the ear are supposed to be the most precise, because temperature swings have an effect there first. (I haven't seen an ear thermometer myself, though -- and I just bought one as present for Christmas.)

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 01:07:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
(Er, I meant to say: I just saw a large sortiment of various body temerature thermometers when I bought one as present for Christmas.)

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 01:12:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
Oh they use the ear ones here too.  They do a quick electronic read.  In fact, I think most dr. offices have recently swutched over to them.  

"Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms." -Dostoevsky
by poemless on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 01:23:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
I bought one when the children were small (an auricular thermometer, that is), but I didn't find it at all accurate, in the sense that I got significantly different readings if I took another reading straight after the first.

But they use them in hospitals here now.  It's quick, and the disposable shield saves having to send off the instrument for sterilisation.  And it's ten years on-the technology might be better.

by Sassafras on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 01:31:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Last time I had my temperature taken ... (none / 0)
... at a physician's office, it was an ear thermometer, no idea whether that was in Oz or the US.


Utsukushikereba sore de ii
by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 01:09:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
Rectally even for adults?!  Whoa...

"Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms." -Dostoevsky
by poemless on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 01:23:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
As you say.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 04:28:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
I assume, ahem, you've asked around and this is common?  Not just something they do to unwitting Brits for a laugh?

"Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms." -Dostoevsky
by poemless on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 05:43:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
depends what you've done and how much you've annoyed them. if it's severe enough they take it with a daffodil.

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 05:45:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
I have an image of afew in my mind that I'm going to need serious therapy to erase now...

"Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms." -Dostoevsky
by poemless on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 05:48:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
He's not that annoying.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 05:51:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
Yet.
by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 08:22:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (4.00 / 2)
That's a bummer....

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 05:33:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
What I wonder about is the practical side. You feel ill at work -- so you grab a thermometer, and off to the toilet!? And also grab some desinfectant for afterwards?...

Or, people do not take their own temperature, and always go to the doctor for such a simple thing?

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 03:24:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
Dunno, but whatever it is, I'm certain it's in Fahrenheit. ;)  Doctors don't tend to worry unless it's over 100, though.  F-wise, that is.

What's your blood pressure, though?  Mine was 100/60 yesterday, which is pretty average for me.  The highest it's ever been measured was 120/80.  The lowest was 80/50.  They weren't too happy about that...

Oh, and in the US doctors take the temps of adults under the tongue.  When we were kids, we had these stickers put on our foreheads to measure it.  My grandmother insisted under the arm was the best place for the thermometer.  

"Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms." -Dostoevsky

by poemless on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 12:59:43 PM EST
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
Your grandmother, where is she from?

Regarding blood pressure: it has been ages since I last measured it, but I usually came in dead close to 120/80 -- that is, when I didn't invalidate the measurement with nervousness (happened quite often).

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 01:09:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
In America, they take your blood pressure every time you walk into a dr. office.  And they weigh you.  I think they only take your temp when you're there feeling sick (viral or bacterial infection) or for a physical (routine check-up).  They even have blood pressure machines in a lot of public places now.  That's how bad heart disease is here.

My grandmother was from a family of Arkansas sharecroppers.

"Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms." -Dostoevsky

by poemless on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 01:19:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
I've never really seen them in public places outside of Eckerd or Walgreens.  Maybe a grocery store or two (again, by the pharmacy).  But they've always had those, even before obesity and heart disease became huge issues.  Where else do they put them up there?

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.
by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 09:22:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
In America, they take your blood pressure every time you walk into a dr. office.  And they weigh you.

I don't look obese at all, and have no prior history of heart-related problems, so they don't waste the effort. (As for people with heart problems, it's usual for them to have an instrument and use it daily.) My blood pressure is taken during regular medical checks for my company every couple of years. When younger, the draft examination bodies of the military would also take it (and they would get quite annoyed when I invalidated the results).

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 03:49:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
By the way, you and BruceMcF seem to talk as if taking a temperature would be something for doctors. That's strange -- I could imagine that having thermometers at home is not normal at other places like it is here, but those movies and TV shows I remembered would indicate the USA ain't such a place.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 02:10:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
I use C for everything except body temperature, where F makes more sense.

Up to 100F - you'll live.
100-102F - worth keeping an eye on.
102-104F - visit the doctor.
>104F - call the doctor. Now.

The highest I've had as an adult was 102F, and that was the most vicious flu I've ever had. The fever was the least of my worries - not being able to keep water down unless it was ice cold or salty was more of a problem.

I had 104F as a child, but - oddly enough - I don't remember the details.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 08:27:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
>104F - call the doctor. Now.
...
I had 104F as a child, but - oddly enough - I don't remember the details.

I can testify to this.

I had mononucleosis when I was in my first year of high school, and my fever went to a little above 105 (or 106, I can't remember).  I remember going to the emergency room, and then the room going dark and collapsing while they were trying to take an x-ray on me.  Apparently had a seizure, but they didn't tell me what happened after that.  Woke up quite a while later, after having been pumped full of what I think was epinephrine, with about 20 doctors standing around me breathing sighs of relief, which was obviously quite reassuring....

The whole episode was very short, though.  From feeling fine before it hit to being well enough to leave the hospital, it couldn't have been more than 12 hours.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.

by Drew J Jones (myfriends@thisispancakes.com) on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 09:19:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
The only time it rose above 40°C (104°F) for me was when I was 19 years old, and got flu for the first time. (I don't remember where it peaked.)

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 03:31:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
The body temperature of Asians is usually lower, about 36.0 degrees. And they have about 30% longer digestive tract.
by das monde on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 07:32:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
That's an interesting enough pair of claims for me to ask for a good source.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 02:11:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
It's basically anecdotal evidence of living in East Asia; I may try to check it with other medical professionals (nurses) or international couples.

Google search reveals that specific comparisons are avoided. But I noticed some isolated statements that body temperature depends on race, slightly more that on gender. As for the digestive tract, can you notice that most Asians have relatively shorter legs (so "equivalently", longer abdominals)?

I remember that in the Soviet Union the normal body  temperature was 36.6 - quite strictly!

by das monde on Tue Apr 14th, 2009 at 06:34:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
Well, in France, I think the normal body temperature is 37,2 °C in the morning. But we know the French are hot!

BTW, now in hospitals, they use an electronic ear thermometer and many families must have one by now.

"Ce qui vient au monde pour ne rien troubler ne mérite ni égards ni patience." René Char

by Melanchthon on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 02:18:01 PM EST
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
in France, I think the normal body temperature is 37,2 °C in the morning

Rectal, I take (which is 0.5-1.0°C above axillary).

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 03:32:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
DoDo:
Rectal, I take (which is 0.5-1.0°C above axillary).

I guess, but as Melanchton mentioned, they don't do the rectal measurement any longer, even in MD offices and hospitals: everybody has switched to electronic ear devices.
But rectal temperature measurement was standard MO back in the days.

Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.
by Bernard on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 12:12:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
Ear temp is higher than axillary, too.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 02:05:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Body Temperature (none / 1)
In the various Uni health clinics I used to go to in the US, they used the ear thermometer, but when I was younger it was almost always the tongue thermometer.  Here in Japan, they seem to be fond of the armpit.

I've usually had a somewhat low temperature, but nothing terribly noticeable.  Nowadays, I just figure that if I get a fever worth paying attention to, I'll start feeling cold all the time or getting the chills.

My blood pressure, on the other hand, is routinely quite low.  I was kind of disturbed last year, when I started my new job, when it rose up to more normal levels, but it's back down to sub-human again.

by Zwackus on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 05:29:36 PM EST
Re: Body Temperature (none / 0)
Sounds like me.  And I eat meat and smoke.  

"Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms." -Dostoevsky
by poemless on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 05:45:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Body Temperature Poll (none / 1)
Do I have to go get a thermometer now?

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Apr 10th, 2009 at 05:53:38 PM EST
Re: Body Temperature Poll (none / 0)
Buy it together with Easter ham!

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 11th, 2009 at 03:34:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Body Temperature | 40 comments (40 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)


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