Estimation of heat flow from hands of Eskimos by calorimetry.

Abstract

Heat flow from hands immersed in cold water was studied in nine Eskimo and four white subjects. To assess the loss of heat from the hand circulation, the change in heat content of the hand during cold water immersion was first calculated from derived average hand temperatures. After 30 min cold water immersion, average hand temperatures were found to be approximately 6.5 C higher than the water. Derived values for circulatory heat loss averaged 15,564 cal for the Eskimos and 13,815 cal for the white subjects when the room temperature was 25 ± 2 C, and 11,167 cal and 10,610 cal, respectively, when the room temperature was 15 ± 2 C. However, an inverse relationship between hand volume and heat flow per 100 ml hand was found, and when considered on this basis no difference could be made out between the two groups although the number of subjects was too small for statistical comparison. The possibility that differences reported in the literature between groups of subjects are related to differences in hand size is discussed. Submitted on January 23, 1961