Abstract
The temperatures of the gastrocunemic muscle, rectum, and skin were determined by means of thermocouple. In control underfed group no changes were detected until the fifth week. In thiamine-deficient group fall of body temperature appeared from the third week, and gradually increased toward the end stage. Fluctuation of skin- and muscle-temperature was observed from the end of the second to the beginning of the fourth week. In the case with marked hypothermia in the end stage of thiamine deficiency, oral administration of thiamine in a daily dose of 5 μg elevated the body temperature from the next day, leading to the normal temperature of the muscle, rectum, and skin in 3 to 5 days. However, fluctuation was observed in 3 to 10 days in the muscle temperature, and in 5 to 10 days in the skin temperature. TTG and DNP injection in thiamine-deficient group caused prominent rise of the body temperature in cases of the 23th day of deficiency. Reduction of glycogen and degeneration was observed histologically in the liver and muscle. The adrenal glands showed maximum increase in weight on 23 to 30th day of thiamine deficiency, and the most marked change of hyperfunction on the 24th day. In 20 out of the 23 hospitalized cases with beriberi a slight fever was found, which was improved by the treatment in 11 cases, but not in 8 cases.
