Fever is said to be an important indicator of coronavirus. Taking my personal temperature showed that I did not have a fever, but the readings seemed to be
conistently lower than what is supposed to be the "normal" temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. What was going on and was there something else wrong? I decided to do
a bit of sleuthing to find out.
Origin of Normal Temperature
In 1851, a German doctor named Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich took the temperatures of 25,000 patients in the city of Leipzig and concluded that the average human body
temperature was 37 degrees Celsius, or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 37 degrees Celsius! That is a piece of general knowledge most adults have at their fingertips -
it is seen as a scientific truth, a solid benchmark, the bedrock of health care. Yet not only are variations known to exist from person to person, the
Smithsonian magazine reports that over the last 150 years, people seem to be becoming cooler. You cannot be so certain about 37 degrees Celsius.
Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich (1815-1877) was a German physician and medical professor known for his measurement
of mean healthy human body temperature of 37C. In 1850 he became Medical Director of the Leipzig University hospital introducing
methodology of diagnosis and empirical observation of patients. He introduced temperature charts holding that fever is not a disease but a symptom.
Research from a number of studies have shown that the temperature for healty people can vary from between 36.5 and 37.5 Celsius. You may be half a degree colder
in the morning than afternoon and other factors such as hunger, tiredness or external temperature can affect your body temperature.
Becoming Cooler
Even more remarkable is that it seems people, generally, are becoming cooler. (No! not "cooler" as in people learning to play better music, getting
good haircuts and wearing studded belts).
Research has found that men born in the early 19th century display temperatures 0.59 degrees Celsius higher than men today, representing a decrease of 0.03 degrees
Celsius per birth decade. Women's temperatures have gone down 0.32 degrees Celsius since the 1890s, representing a 0.029 degree Celsius decline per birth decade.
The research methodolgy has discounted improvements in measuring equipment and techniques.
Why Are We Cooler
It has been suggested factors such as climate control (e.g. AirCon), better living conditions and better diet may have had an effect. Less prevalence of diseases such as
tuberculosis, malaria and dental infections could also be factors. Modern medicine may have played a factor (or is the availability of tight black jeans?).
Disclaimer
Material on this site should be considered purely as opinion, historical interpretation or fiction. While every effort is made to ensure statements are
based on fact, where appropriate, conditions can change and you must not rely upon information on this site for any personal, professional, financial, legal or
academic reason.
REFERENCES
'Human Body Temperature Is Getting Cooler, Study Finds', Smithsonian Magazine https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/human-body-temperature-getting-cooler-study-finds-180974006 (accessed 21st March 2020).
