Analysis of tissue and arterial blood temperatures in the resting human forearm (Reprinted from Journal of Applied Physiology, vol 1, pg 93-122, 1948)

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS of the relationship between arterial blood and tissue temperatures has not been previously attempted. Bazett and McGlone's measurements of tissue temperature indicate that the deep thermal gradient in the resting normal human forearm does not extend deeper than 2.5 cm.; deeper measurements are not reported (1). According to recent observations in this laboratory, the temperature gradient in intact human biceps muscle extended beyond this depth to approach the geometrical axis of the limb (2), as would be expected if the analytic theory of heat flow by conduction is applicable to a localized arm segment. With the stimulus of this observation, the temperatures of the normal human forearm tissues and brachial arterial blood have been measured to evaluate the applicability of heat flow theory to the forearm in basic terms of local rate of tissue heat production and volume flow of blood.