THE EFFECT OF WORK AND CLOTHING ON THE MAINTENANCE OF THE BODY TEMPERATURE IN WATER

Abstract

Twelve young naval ratings were repeatedly immersed in water at temperatures between 5 and 37·8° C. Their temperatures, both rectal and œsophageal when measured, fell more rapidly when they worked than when they stayed still in water at 5 or 15° C. This was so whether the men worked as hard as possible or at a slower rate, whether they wore clothes or not, and whether or not the water (at 15° C.) was stirred when they were still. The fattest man suffered relatively small falls in rectal temperature at both 5 and 15° C. whether he worked or was still. Work had no significant effect on the rectal temperatures of unclothed men in water at 25° C. and caused a rise in water at 35° C. Work had no important effect on the falls in surface or mean temperature during 20‐min. immersions at 5° and 15° C. when the men were unclothed and the water (in the still experiments) was stirred, but it increased the falls in mean temperature when the immersions lasted 40 min. and increased both when the men were clothed. Clothing substantially reduced the men's falls in both surface and deep temperature, particularly in water at 5° C. This effect was prolonged when the men were still, but when they worked it was relatively slight after the first few minutes. © 1961 The Physiological Society