HOW IS A PERSONS BODY TEMPERATURE REGULATED?
a. Hypothalamus. Human beings, like other mammals, have bodies that stay about the same temperature even when the outside (environmental) temperature changes. The body’s temperature stays constant because it is constantly monitored by a small area inside the brain called the hypothalamus (hi-po-THAL-ah-mus). When the body begins to cool, the hypothalamus causes the body to produce more heat. When the body becomes too warm, the hypothalamus causes the body to loose heat faster. These heating and cooling actions are very important since tissue damage and even death can result if the body gets too cold or too hot. The hypothalamus receives information concerning the body’s temperature from several sources. (1) Skin. One source of temperature information is the skin. The skin contains many nerves that have special functions. Some nerves protect the body by providing information in the form of pain. Other nerves provide the sense of touch. The hypothalamus uses two other types of nerves. On
