Temperature Changes in the Conjunctiva in Relation to Application of Heat and Cold to the Skin

Abstract

Dogs were used in experiments to determine the effect of changes in skin temperature on that of the conjunctiva. The latter was found to respond with changes similar to those in the skin, more marked after repeated applications of cold. These results would suggest a predisposition to bacterial invasion of the conjunctiva when the body is chilled and may account for the simultaneous involvement of conjunctiva and nose in acute coryza. From the Department of Bacteriology and Preventive Medicine, University of Illinois, College of Medicine, the Research Laboratories of the State Department of Public Health, and the Chicago Medical School. Dogs were used in experiments to determine the effect of changes in skin temperature on that of the conjunctiva. The latter was found to respond with changes similar to those in the skin, more marked after repeated applications of cold. These results would suggest a predisposition to bacterial invasion of the conjunctiva when the body is chilled and may account for the simultaneous involvement of conjunctiva and nose in acute coryza. From the Department of Bacteriology and Preventive Medicine, University of Illinois, College of Medicine, the Research Laboratories of the State Department of Public Health, and the Chicago Medical School.