Core body temp.

At different environmental conditions, the internal parts of the body are maintained at a constant temperature. These internal parts are together referred to as the body core. A layer of fatty tissue under the skin surrounds the core, fat is a good insulator of heat and slows down heat exchange between the core and the environment. In other words, the fat layer acts like a blanket around the body.

Humans are endothermic and strive to maintain a constant body temperature regardless of the temperature of the environment. The optimum temperature for chemical reactions to take place in the body is 37 degrees. Above this temperature many body enzymes become denatured and chemical reactions cannot take place. Keeping the body temperature relatively constant is a classic example of homeostasis. Body temperature is controlled by balancing heat production against heat loss to the environment (Rasch 590-95).

Body temperature averages 36.2 degrees and is usually maintained within a narrow r...