Adverse Effects of Temperature on Human Body
History
Heat is a measurement of a body’s or
material’s energy content; the higher the energy
content, the hotter it is. However, unlike physical
properties such as mass and length, it has been
difficult to quantify. The majority of ways have
been indirect, relying on seeing the effect of heat
on something and extrapolating temperature
from there. The effect of temperature on the rate
of reaction also applies to body processes.
When you are sick and have fever, your body
reactions occur faster. Your heart works harder
to pump the oxygen needed for the metabolic
processes in your body. Your digestive system
becomes upset and you tend to sweat more. If
not checked soon, these effects may reach
dangerous proportions.
Although the sensations of hot and cold
are fundamental to the human experience, many
great minds have struggled to find ways to
measure temperature. It’s unclear whether the
ancient Greeks or Chinese had methods for
measuring temperature, so the history of
temperature sensors, as far as we know, began
during the Renaissance. It was difficult to come
up with a measurement scale back then. Robert
Hooke recommended using the freezing point of
water as a zero point for measuring
temperatures in 1664. Ole Roemer realized the
necessity for two fixed positions at around the
same time, allowing interpolation between them.
Hooke’s freezing point and the boiling point of
water were the points he selected. However, the
question of how hot or cold things can get
remains unanswered. But it was Joseph Luis
Gay-Lussac and other gas law researchers
responded to this question. While researching
the effect of temperature on gas at constant
pressure in the nineteenth century, they
discovered that volume rises by 1/267 per
degree Celsius (later updated to 1/273.15).
Absolute zero, or minus 273.15°C, was born as
a result of this.
Santorio Santorio invented the
thermometer in Italy in 1612. He sealed liquid
inside a glass tube of which he observed how it
expanded as it went up the tube. Though it lacks
accurate units, we can still see simple changes
in the liquid in the tube, which indicates changes
in temperatures. From there, we can see that it’s
indeed difficult to come up with a measurement
scale. Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, who is the
one who invented the first reliable thermometer,
discovered that he needed a temperature scale
when producing thermometers. The saltwater
has a freezing point of 30 degrees and a boiling
point of 180 degrees, according to him. As a
result, pure water was chosen, as it freezes at a
slightly higher temperature, resulting in boiling at
Operation
212 degrees Fahrenheit and freezing at 32
degrees Fahrenheit.
Lastly, the International Temperature
Scale (ITS), defines the present temperature
measurement scales, of which the unit Kelvin
(which was devised by Lord Kelvin) was set as
the standard for scientific measurements of
temperatures. So why is there a need to convert
°C to K? Kelvin is the basic unit for measuring
temperature in the International System (SI). “It
denotes the absolute temperature scale
whereby 0°K or absolute zero is defined as the
temperature when molecules will have the
lowest energy.”
Purpose and Function
The surrounding temperature could
reach as high as 38°C to 40°C, higher than body
temperature. The only way our body can lose
heat is by evaporation of sweat. When the
relative humidity is high, however, this process is
greatly slowed down. These are the reasons why
we feel so uncomfortable during hot, humid
days.
Furthermore, the heat released during
metabolic breakdown of the food we eat is not all
used for body functions and physical activities.
Part of it is released to the surroundings as heat.
This has the effect of cooling down our body. Our
body releases heat in two ways: (a) natural loss
of heat due to a difference between body
temperature and the surrounding temperature
and (b) evaporation or sweat (thermoregulation).
Heat always flows from a region of higher
temperature to one of lower temperature. You
may not be aware of it, but water in the form of
perspiration is slowly evaporating from your skin
all over your body.
In physics and chemistry, an increase in
temperature supplies energy to the reactant
particles. Thus at higher temperatures, more
reactant particles have enough energy to reach
the activated state. All reactions increase in rate
when temperature increases. Generally,
reaction rates double for every 10 C° rise in
temperature. The effect of temperature on the
rate of reaction also applies to body processes.
When you are sick and have fever, your body
reactions occur faster. Your heart works harder
to pump the oxygen needed for the metabolic
processes in your body. Your digestive system
becomes upset and you tend to sweat more. If
not checked soon, these effects may reach
dangerous proportions. Lastly, to avoid as well
as treat the adverse effects of the temperature
on the body; it is necessary to identify the
“temperature of interest” using the appropriate
tool for it, which is the thermometer.
A thermometer is used to determine the
temperature. The underlying operating concept
of all thermometers is that some quantity,
referred to as a thermometric variable, changes
in response to temperature variations. A
polynomial or power function can be used to
calculate the relationship between temperature
and the thermometric variable, which can be
direct or inverse. It is the thermometric variable
that is measured in any circumstance. There is
no way to directly monitor temperature.
Physic Concept
Temperature is a measure of hotness or
coldness expressed on any of numerous
arbitrary scales that indicates the direction in
which heat energy would naturally flow—that is,
from a hotter (higher) body to a colder (lower)
body (one at a lower temperature).
If the image in Figure 6 were a gas, the
particles that make up the gas would move in
response to temperature. The molecules (shown
by the dots) in a hot gas are free to move around;
the faster they move, the hotter the gas
becomes. A cold gas, on the other hand, would
imply very sluggish or no movement of
molecules.
Today, three temperature scales are
widely used. In the United States and a few other
English-speaking countries, the Fahrenheit (°F)
temperature scale is used. The Celsius (°C)
temperature scale is widely used in science and
is used in practically all countries that have
adopted the metric system of measurement. The
Kelvin (K) scale is a temperature scale that
measures absolute temperatures. (obtained by
shifting the Celsius scale by −273.15° so that
absolute zero coincides with 0 K), is recognized
as the international standard for scientific
temperature measurement.
Limits and Threshold
The body has its innate system in regulating
temperature. Though with its regulatory system
there are limits and threshold on how much heat
it can handle. The highest the body can handle
is 108.14°F while the lowest is 95° F.
Levels of Doses
You may have heard that the “normal”
body temperature is 98.6°F (37°C). But this
number is only an average. Your body
temperature may be slightly higher or lower.
A body temperature reading above or
below the average doesn’t automatically mean
In an effort to standardize the temperature scale,
Kelvin's are preferably used as 0 (zero) on the
Kelvin scale is absolute zero. As such:
Celsius has by no means been abandoned.
Much of our standards are based on the Celsius
scale:
0 ° Celsius = Freezing point of water
100 ° Celsius = Boiling point of water
The Fahrenheit scale is used prominently in the
United States, and mostly for weather and
cooking measurements. This scale is not at all
used in science.
32 ° Fahrenheit = Freezing point of water
212 ° Fahrenheit = Boiling point of water
The image above shows the wide range of
temperatures found in the universe. Human
beings have been known to survive with body
temperatures within a small range, from 24ºC to
44ºC (75ºF to 111ºF). The average normal body
temperature is usually given as 37.0ºC (98.6ºF),
and variations in this temperature can indicate a
medical condition: a fever, an infection, a tumor,
or circulatory problems The lowest temperatures
ever recorded have been measured during
laboratory experiments: 4.5 × 10−10 K at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA),
and 1.0 × 10−10 K at Helsinki University of
Technology (Finland). In comparison, the
coldest recorded place on Earth’s surface is
Vostok, Antarctica at 183 K (–89ºC), and the
coldest place (outside the lab) known in the
universe is the Boomerang Nebula, with a
temperature of 1 K
Effects on Body and Health
Even minor deviations from seasonal normal
temperatures are linked to an increased risk of
disease and death. Extreme temperatures can
exacerbate chronic illnesses such as
cardiovascular, pulmonary, and cerebrovascular
disease, as well as diabetes-related
complications. Heat has significant indirect
health consequences.
you’re sick. Several factors can influence your
body temperature, including your age, sex, time
of day, and activity level.
Your body’s ability to regulate temperature
changes as you get older. People over the age
of 64 generally have more trouble adjusting to
sudden changes in temperature as quickly as Presented in Table 1 are average body
younger people. In general, older people have temperatures based on age, according to a
more difficulty conserving heat. They’re also review of studies and older research.
more likely to have lower body temperatures.

Structure and Parts Involving Temperature in Illnesses and Symptoms

the Human Body
It is an intricate apparatus found in our
body that balances heat production with heat
loss, keeping the body at a temperature just right
for optimal function. This balancing act is
directed automatically and seamlessly by the
hypothalamus, a small portion of the brain that
serves as the command center for numerous
bodily functions, including the coordination of the
autonomic nervous system.
In a related function, blood vessels react to the
introduction of outside organisms, such as
bacteria, and to internal hormone and chemical
changes by expanding and contracting. These
actions move blood and heat closer to or farther
from the skin, thus releasing or conserving
warmth. When all parts of the body's heat-
regulating mechanism operate smoothly, body
temperature stays near 98.6 degrees. However,
there are times when body temperature can go
awry.

The hypothalamus regulates the body
temperature, responding to internal and external
stimuli and making adjustments to keep the body
within one or two degrees of the norm.
The hypothalamus works with other parts
of the body's temperature-regulating system,
such as the skin, sweat glands and blood
vessels — the vents, condensers and heat ducts
of your body's heating and cooling system.
The middle layer of the skin, or dermis,
stores most of the body's water. When heat
activates sweat glands, these glands bring that
water, along with the body's salt, to the surface
of the skin as sweat. Once on the surface, the
water evaporates. Water evaporating from the
skin cools the body, keeping its temperature in a
healthy range.
Heatstroke - In prolonged heat exposure, the
body sweats so much that it depletes itself of
fluids and salts, leaving nothing to sustain the
evaporation process. When this process ceases,
body temperature soars and heat illnesses may
result — including the most serious: heatstroke.
Hot flashes - Blood vessels constrict and then
expand rapidly in what is known as vasomotor
spasm. These spasms start the chain of events
that lead to the skin flushing and temperature
changes called hot flashes.
Fever - Cause blood vessels to narrow and pull
heat into the innermost part of the body. The
result is a fever. Fever not only signals that a
foreign invader has entered the body; it's also a
sign that the body's immune system is working
to combat that invader. As the body fights off the
infection, the fever naturally resolves itself.

Hypothermia - Is a medical emergency that body temperature. Normal body temperature is

occurs when the body loses heat faster than it around 98.6 F (37 C). Hypothermia occurs as the
can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature falls below 95 F (35 C)

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APPENDICES

Figure 1. Robert Hooke Figure 2. Ole Roemer Figure 3. Joseph Lussac Figure 4. Santorio

Figure 5. (left) First reliable thermometer invented by Figure 6. Particles of Hot and Cold
(right) Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

Figure 7. Standard and absolute temperature scales. Figure 8. Temperature in Universe

Table 01. Temperature based on Age

Age Oral Rectal/Ear Armpit

0–12 months 95.8–99.3°F 96.8–100.3°F 94.8–98.3°F

(36.7–37.3°C) (37–37.9°C) (36.4–37.3°C)

Children 97.6–99.3°F 98.6–100.3°F 96.6–98.3°F

(36.4–37.4°C) (37–37.9°C) (35.9–36.83°C)

Adults 96–98°F 97–99°F 95–97°F

(35.6–36.7°C) (36.1–37.2°C) (35–36.1°C)

Adults over 93–98.6°F 94–99.6°F 92–97.6°F

age 65 (33.9–37°C) (34.4–37.6°C) (33.3–36.4°C)