During a period of over ten years observations have been made on the temperatures of the infants born in the inside division of the service of the newly born. These observations have been made beginning at birth and have continued at four hour intervals during the first nine or ten days of life and in some instances longer.
In the first years impressions were gathered with regard to the time at which the elevations of temperature occurred, and how they behaved, which stimulated the present study.
Over 5,000 records of cases have been closely scrutinized, and only those infants with elevated temperatures whose histories are complete in every detail and whose mothers' obstetric records are likewise thorough are included in this study.
Six hundred and seventeen such cases comprise the material studied. All temperatures were taken by rectum, and those above 99.6 F. were considered to be elevated.
It was