As one of the series of studies on the mechanism of body temperature regulation by central nervous system, following experiments have been carried out in the aspect of measurement of body temperature.
As to the factors which brought the various changes of the body temperature that have been recently postulated, the studies using rabbits have been investigated and the results obtained are described below.
(I) Whenever a trace of T. T. G. (a polysaccharide fraction of a nonpathogenic bacterium, pseudomonas fluorescens) was injected to the hypothalamus, a high fever vas observed. That was superior to that treated intravenously.
(2) When the hypothalamus was destructed, the body temperature regulation ability and fever producing ability were disordered or disappeared for 3 to 4 weeks, but they were recovered gradually.
(3) It has been observed in the experiments that the degree of the fever action and the recovering period depended upon the difference of the injecting location or upon the destructing location in the hypothalamus.
(4) It has been recognized that the body temperature descending mechanism of CPH (chlorpromazine) differed from that of aminopyrine.
(5) After the pretreatment of CPH no-fevering mechanismus had been observed from any fevering factor in the living body.
(6) By the pretreatment of nor-adrenaline, ACTH or TTG, the body temperature descending action of CPH was depressed.
(7) By the administration of nor-adrenaline or the treatment of spinal electrification with low frequency rectangular pulse waves, body temperature descending action was inhibited in a certain degree after the administration of CPH.
(8) Immediately after the treatment of adrenaline or nor-adrenaline a slight temperature rise of the hypothalamus in brain ocurred.
(9) By the administration of aminopyrine, adrenaline, nor-adrenaline, or TTG, a characteristic temperature phenomenon in adrenal gland, i. e. the temperature of adrenal cortex surpassed that of adrenal marrow and the difference should be 0.1°C or more, was observed. The administration of CPH or the treatment of spinal electrification of low frequency rectangular pulse waves reversed this phenomenon.
(10) This adrenal temperature phenomenon by adrenaline administration was appeared slightly after the pre-extirpatlon of the hypophysis, the blocking of splanchnic nerves, or the administration of CPH.
(11) Electrificing period of spinal electrification of low frequency rectangular pulse waves caused the descent of body temperature and the shutting off the electric current brought the body temperature to ascend. However, only the nervous temperature at lumbar spinal cord, or sciatic nerves showed a rise slightly during the electrification.
(12) When the electric current of spinal electrification of low frequency rectangular pulse waves was reversed, i. e. the direction of the electric current was from lumbar to neck during the electrification, the body temperature showed a slight rise, and the cuting off of electric current caused the temperature descent.
(13) The treatment of spinal electrification of low frequency rectangular pulse waves in fevering state gave the body temperature descending action in experimental animals.
(14) No influence of body temperature was recognized, in the case of electrification of low frequency rectangular pulse waves at peripheral nerve location except the spinal cord.

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A) The effect of simple alkaline thermal bath on serum cholinesterase (Ch-E) activity in rheumatoid arthritis:
Serum Ch-E activity in rheumatoid arthritis was measured once a week in National Hospital at Spa Itoh, before, 30, 60, and 120min. after a daily thermal bath at 41°C for 10min.
1) Serum Ch-E activity in rheumatoid arthritis showed lower values than that of the healthy control, and the more the stage of the disease progressed, the lower the Ch-E activity decreased.
2) Effect of a thermal bath at 41°C for 10min.
A slight increase in Ch-E activity was observed after bathing in the healthy control, and similar tendency was observed in cases in the Stage I and II. But a marked decrease was proved in cases in Stage III on the contrary.
3) Effect of a series of thermal baths, once a day at 41°C for 10min.:
Eleven out of fourteen subjects showed an increase in amplitude or an inversion of type of fluctuation in Ch-E activity following thermal bath between the 4-14th day of Spa treatment.
Such a fluctuation in biological reaction occured earlier in patients, whose therapeutic results proved better than others.
Serum Ch-E activity before bathing showed maximum fluctuation in the 2. -3. week. But no constant tendency in the direction of fluctuation was observed. In healthy subjects, Ch-E activity decreased gradually in the 2, -3. weeks, and then returned to the former level.
Ch-E activity before bath, in patients in Stage II and III, which was decreased below normal range, showed an increase remarkably in 2 weeks, then returned to the initial level after 4 weeks.
There was observed a normalisation of Ch-E activity in cases, whose former values proved lower than normal, through the course of a series of thermal baths at 41°C for 10min.
B) The effect of simple alkaline thermal bath at Itch Spa on the blood pressure:
Blood pressure of in-patients of National Hospital at Itoh was measured before, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120min. after bathing at 39°C for 20min. respectively. Results obtained from this observation are as follow:
1) Effect of a single bath at 39°C for 20min.:
Systolic pressure:
A group of patients with systolic pressure over 150mm/Hg showed an average fall of 16mm, 15min. after bathing, and this decrease in the blood pressure continued up to 120min. after bathing.
A group of patients with systolic pressure of 130-149mm/Hg showed an average fall of 6mm 30min. after bathing, then this fall recovered towards 60min., and returned to the former level 120min. after bathing.
A group of patients with systolic pressure less than 129mm/Hg showed a rise of 3mm/Hg in an average after 15min., then decreased gradually towards 60min., and returned to the former level 120min. after bathing.
Diastolic pressure:
Diastolic pressure showed similar change as systolic pressure, but not so remarkably.
Pulse amplitude:
In relatively hypertensive group, pulse amplitude decreased after 15min. and the decrease continued till 120min. after bathing.
In relatively hypotensive group, pulse amplitude increased after 15min., then returned to the former level gradually.
2) Effect of a series of baths once a day at 39°C for 20min.:
As the number of patients studied were so few, no definite conclusion was drawn concerning the effect of a series of thermal baths on the blood pressure.

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Catalytic activity of plasma was studied to analyse the biological effects of thermal bath, especially in mineral waters showing more or less marked catalytic action themselves.
An increase of from 19 to 67 percent plasma catalase activity was proved after a full immersion bath at 42°C for 10min., and each spring water: Ikaho (iron containing calcium sulphate spring)-, Kusazu (acid alum vitriol spring)-, Nozawa (simple sulphur spring)-, Atami (weak common salt spring)-, Ttoh (simple thermal)-Springs showed its own characteristic effect.
Namely, Kusazu Spring bath showed the highest increase and the effect of lkaho proved more prolonged.
Other springs, such as Nozawa, Atami and Itch, showed rather slighter increase with shorter duration similar to the effect of plain water bath.
These increases in the plasma catalase activity by a single bath decreased remarkably after a series of thermal baths for ten days and no definite relation was proved to exist between the catalytic action of the bath waters and their effect to increase the plasma catalase activity in the bathed persons or animals.
Then, these effects were examined in the rabbits with stimulated or impaired reticuloendotheliar function.
Blocking of reticuloendotheliar system (R. E. S.) inhibited the increases in the plasma catalase activity by the thermal bath, though the activity levels before each bath were not affected.
Stimulation of R. R. S. showed no influence on the effects of bathing.
Probably this difference might he accounted for an unknown activating factor of plasmaa cataIase mobilized from the R. E. S. into the blood stream by thermal bath, and/or for increased liberation of catalase from the tissues.
An attempt to find any factor in plasma, promoting catalase activity, failed to prove in vitro, but survival time of P³²-labelled blood corpuscles was markedly shortend by a series of thermal baths.
Conclusion was drawn from these findings that increased destruction of blood cells plays an important role in the manifestation of the effect of thermal bath on plasma catalase activity.

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