A contribution to the topography of temperature regulation in man

Abstract

By means of climatic chamber studies the steady-state curves of body temperature and effector mechanisms of temperature regulation in man are determined for different areas of the body. Under cold conditions local temperature differences are considerable, whereas under warm conditions, the distribution of body heat is much more uniform. Evaporative heat loss, directly measured, and skin blood flow, recorded by the fluvographic method, show considerable local differences under the influence of environmental temperature. This should be the consequence of a "distributed parameter control strategy", which may be adapted to special requirements, such as exercise or partial thermal stress of the body. The experimental results form the basis for a mathematical model of human temperature regulation, and for further experimental studies which are devoted to clarifying the strategy of regulation with local distributed parameters.