A Study of Muscle Temperature During Bacterial Chill

Abstract

It still remains the general opinion that heat production in the body depends mainly on the muscles, although it is admitted that a certain amount of heat is liberated by the chemical processes occurring in viscera, especially the liver. In comparison to the amount of heat produced by the muscles it is considered insignificant. Moreover there are different chemical processes that occur in the liver, which actually absorb heat, instead of producing it. In other words, any noticeable increase in the body temperature is attributed to the muscular activity.

Since the production of heat is constantly associated with the activity of the muscles and especially when the muscles are in action, it is also generally accepted that any tremor of muscles is accompanied with heat production. The bacterial chill, in which we have a contraction of muscular fibers and rigor, is accompanied with an elevation of body temperature. This increased heat production is usually attributed to apparent muscular activity. Briefly, to the muscular tremor, whenever it occurs, we ascribe heat production and associate the rise in temperature of the patient with bacterial chill to this cause.

In disagreement with this general opinion Petersen and Müller 1 presented experimental evidence indicating that the chill in the dog produced by continuous injection of colon bacilli is always associated with an increase in the splanchnic activity on the one hand and muscular tremor and leukopenia on the other. But this muscular activity is not accompanied by increased temperature in the muscles themselves.