The Insensible Perspiration in Infancy and in Childhood

Abstract

In a recent communication 1 tentative standards were proposed for the basal insensible perspiration of normal infants analogous to the well known standards at present available for their basal metabolism.Before accepting the newly proposed standards, it seemed advisable to make a comparative study of the reliability of the two series of basal standards. Such a study would also serve to show any correlation that might exist between the two physiologic mechanisms. If the correlation were shown to be of high degree, the data might afford a possible method of predicting the probable metabolism of infants from their measured insensible perspiration. This procedure would be especially valuable since present methods of estimating the respiratory exchange of infants are time-consuming and technically difficult compared with the relatively simple method of weighing for measuring their insensible loss.2 Since evidence of reliability and of correlation in both instances involved the employment of statistical methods, it seemed feasible to report the results of both studies in this communication. PLAN OF STUDYAn evaluation of the validity of basal standards for metabolism and insensible perspiration of normal infants seemed best achieved by a statistical analysis of the original data from which the standards were

The Relationship Between the Environment and the Basal Insensible Loss of Weight 1

“…General confirmation was later obtained by Levine and his colleagues (2), and by this laboratory (3).…”

“…Thus: H20 = Insensible loss -(CO2 -02)-'The expenses of this investigation were defrayed in part by a fund for the study of nutrition, created by Mr. W. K. Kellogg, of the Kellogg Corn Flake Company, Battle Creek, Michigan. 2 National Research Council Fellow in Medicine. 689 It has been generally understood for a long time that heat is dissipated from the body by radiation, conduction, convection, and the vaporization of water.…”

Heat Stress From Enclosed Vehicles: Moderate Ambient Temperatures Cause Significant Temperature Rise in Enclosed Vehicles

“…As mentioned earlier, TsuzukiHayakawa and Tochihara 5 found that infants and young children developed significantly higher core and surface body temperatures compared with their mothers despite increased perspiration. Studies by Levine and Ginandes [6][7][8] proposed that a 12-monthold infant loses 1 to 2 mL/kg per hour through perspiration at an ambient temperature of 86°F. In studies of adults in extreme heat exposure, the maximum loss measured has been 10 to 20 mL/kg per hour.…”

Evaporative water loss in the new‐born baby

“…A knowledge of evaporative water loss under varying environmental conditions is therefore ess6ntial in any study of temperature control in the new-born human baby. Values for basal evaporative water loss in the first year of life were established by Levine, Kelly & Wilson (1930): the subjects were dressed and asleep under normal room conditions and the water loss was estimated by weighing. Few babies have been studied in the first week of life, and the way in which their total evaporative water loss varies with environmental temperature has never been established.…”

“…(Levine, Wilson & Kelly, 1929;Ginandes & Topper, 1936) Little,Brodsky & Greathouse (1955) observed a low water loss in infants less than a day old similar to that described here. Studies on older infants (Levine, Kelly & Wilson, 1930;Law, 1938) have revealed higher evaporative losses per square metre. The evaporative loss per square metre in the first week of life is only two thirds of that found in adults.…”