Abstract
To the Editor. —The article by Mackowiak et al 1 represents an important step toward removing the mythical status of 37.0°C (98.6°F) as a marker that distinguishes health from disease. However, I believe that the meaningful interpretation of oral temperature readings requires greater subtlety than the article suggests. I have a long-standing personal interest in this subject. As an MD/PhD student who is particularly prone to acute and chronic viral and bacterial infections, I have maintained daily temperature records during health and illness in an attempt to establish a practical standard for my own personal use. When I am relatively healthy, my temperature ranges from a low of about 36.3°C (97.4°F) to a high of about 36.8°C (98.4°F) in the afternoon or evening. These values are only slightly below the mean values reported by Mackowiak et al and are well within the reported range; my diurnal oscillation in temperature also
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