In the medical field, temperature measurement is a fundamental and crucial diagnostic method, providing doctors with key clues about the patient's health status.
Human body temperature is an important indicator reflecting the physiological state of the body. Under normal circumstances, the core body temperature of the human body remains relatively stable within a certain range. The oral temperature is generally between 36.3℃ - 37.2℃, the axillary temperature is between 36.1℃ - 37℃, and the rectal temperature is between 36.5℃ - 37.7℃. Traditional mercury thermometers measure body temperature by using the principle of mercury's thermal expansion and contraction. When the thermometer comes into contact with the human body, the mercury expands due to heat and rises in the thin tube of the thermometer. After the thermometer and the human body reach thermal equilibrium, the temperature value can be obtained by reading the scale corresponding to the mercury column. This kind of thermometer is inexpensive and has high measurement accuracy. It has long been a commonly used body temperature measuring tool in families and medical institutions, and can provide reliable data especially in axillary, oral or rectal measurements.
With the development of technology, electronic thermometers are gradually becoming popular. It uses temperature sensors such as thermistors to convert temperature changes into electrical signals, which are then processed and displayed by electronic circuits. The advantage of electronic thermometers is that they are convenient and quick to read. Generally, the measurement can be completed in a few seconds to one minute. Moreover, some electronic thermometers also have memory functions, which is convenient for patients and medical staff to record temperature changes. In daily diagnosis and treatment in hospitals, especially for patients who need to measure body temperature frequently, such as hospitalized patients and patients in fever clinics, electronic thermometers improve measurement efficiency and reduce the workload of medical staff.
Infrared thermometers are a new type of temperature measuring equipment widely used in the medical field in recent years. They are based on the infrared radiation characteristics of objects. The human body, as a heat radiation source, emits energy in the form of infrared radiation on its surface. Infrared thermometers receive the infrared radiation on the surface of the human body and use specific algorithms to convert it into temperature values. The biggest advantage of this kind of thermometer is that it can achieve non-contact measurement, which is of great significance in some special scenarios. For example, during the epidemic prevention and control period, when screening the body temperature of a large number of people, infrared thermometers can quickly and safely measure the body temperature of people and avoid the risk of cross-infection. Moreover, when measuring the body temperature of people who do not cooperate with the use of traditional thermometers, such as infants and young children, infrared thermometers can also easily complete the measurement.
Doctors can obtain a lot of valuable information through the measurement and analysis of patients' body temperature. An elevated body temperature may be a signal of various diseases such as infections and inflammations. Infectious diseases such as influenza and pneumonia are often accompanied by fever symptoms. A low body temperature may be related to diseases such as shock and hypothyroidism. Through continuous temperature monitoring, doctors can observe changes in the condition, evaluate the treatment effect and adjust the treatment plan in time. Therefore, temperature measurement is an indispensable diagnostic tool in the medical field and plays an important role in protecting human health.
