Physiological reactions to heat of Bushmen and of unacclimatized and acclimatized Bantu

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Abstract
Bushmen in the Kalahari desert fulfill two criteria for acclimatization to heat. They exercise actively, in hunting, in relatively severe heat in midsummer. Compared with unacclimatized Bantu they have higher sweat rates per square meter and lower heart rates. However, rectal temperatures are not much lower than those of unacclimatized Bantu. River Bushmen present a paradoxical picture. In summer sweat rates are higher than in winter, but are not as high as desert Bushmen. Summer heart rates are, however, higher than in winter. Rectal temperatures in the two seasons are similar. The higher sweat rates in summer are good evidence of better acclimatization than in winter; the higher heart rates may be a reflection of differences in physical fitness in the two seasons. association of morphology and metabolism on cold exposure; cold responses of Bantu, Bushmen, and Caucasians; heat conductance and skinfold thickness in cold; metabolisms of Bantu, Bushmen, and Caucasians in cold; toe, finger, and rectal temperatures of different ethnic groups in cold Submitted on February 4, 1964

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