Some Scientists Believe That A Change In Fahrenheit Unit Is What An Average Human Body Can Detect

The average body temperature of people is 37 degrees Celsius, or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a study conducted in Leipzig in 1851 by a German physician by the name of Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich. Wunderlich's standard continues to serve as a guideline for medical practitioners even though it is known that differences do exist from person to person. However, recent research published in eLife reveals that average temperatures are declining—at least in the United States—a pattern that has been noted in medical records going back more than 150 years.

According to an earlier study, Wunderlich's average may have been a little bit high. For instance, researchers from the University of Maryland found that the average temperature among 148 individuals was 36.8 degrees Celsius, or 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The mean oral temperature was 36.6 degrees Celsius, or 97.9 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a 2017 study of almost 35,000 British patients. Some specialists came to the conclusion that Wunderlich's measurements were just wrong. However, a recent study from the Stanford University School of Medicine claims that the human body is really cooling.