THE RANGE AND VARIABILITY OF THE BLOOD FLOW IN THE HUMAN FINGERS AND THE VASOMOTOR REGULATION OF BODY TEMPERATURE

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Abstract
By a plethysmographic method, the blood flow in fingers was 0.5-90 cc./min./100 cc. of tissue. Since the minimum value suffices for metabolic needs, the great range represents a mechanism for control of heat elimination. Flow is continually changing. In addition to respiratory fluctuations and to vasomotor responses to external and "psychic" stimuli, there is a slow rhythm of constrictions occurring normally every 40 or 50 secs. These are simultaneous in toes and in fingers, accompanied by cardiac accelerations and rise of blood pressure (Traube-Hering waves). Fluctuation is most marked in the middle range of flow, least in maintained constriction. Raising the environmental temp. increases the avg. interval between constrictions. Regulation of body temp. is accomplished by the adjustment of the avg. value of a peripheral blood flow which is rhythmically fluctuating between high and low values.