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Show Big Toe Keeps Body Temperature Even Acts as a Thermostat in Heat Control System. ANN ARDOR. MICH. - A remarkable re-markable thermostat which casually casu-ally utilizes the big toe for an indicator, indi-cator, is contained within the body. Dr. L. H. Newburgh, professor of clinical investigation at the University Univer-sity of Michigan medical school, reported. re-ported. When the air temperature drops to a certain point this thermostat begins to shut off the bodily heat going to the arms and legs. This explains why a person's toes and fingers often are the first to feel the cold. The thermostat does this in order to conserve the heat necessary to maintain the interior of the body at a constant 98.6 degrees, which is essential to the smooth functioning of the vital organs. Doctors who understand this interesting inter-esting heat control system can detect de-tect hyperthyroidism or other evidence evi-dence of abnormal metabolic activity simply by noting temperature tempera-ture changes in the big toe, Dr. Newburgh said In a paper prepared pre-pared for delivery at the annual seminar on dental medicine. The ideal test, Dr. Newburgh said, is to have the patient lying nude in a room where the temperature is about 84 degrees. In that condition the patient is about as near to complete com-plete physical relaxation as he can get. In this situation the skin temperature tempera-ture remains the same all over the body big toe included at about 92 degrees. ' When the room temperature drops to a cozy 75 degrees the skin temperature tem-perature settles to about 90, Dr. Newburgh said. Since the body now is losing heat too fast to maintain the vital functions and at the same time keep everything warm, the thermostat cuts down the heat supply to the arms and legs, which do not contain con-tain any vital parts. |