The Mathematics of Fever

Available for over a year

Body temperature is one of the main ways a doctor can tell the difference between health and sickness, and spotting a fever can mean the difference between life and death. This week we take a look at the mathematics of body temperature. Normal temperature is commonly thought to be 37 degrees Celsius, or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But is this correct? Xavier Zapata tells the story of this number, taking a journey to 19th Century Germany, and a physician who was part of a scientific revolution that swept away over a millennium and a half of medical dogma. (photo: old mercury thermometer with paper case/Getty images)