A bodily temperature >98.6°F (37°C). This is the value traditionally considered “normal,” based on 19thcentury data by Wunderlich, who took 1 million axillary temperatures in 25,000 subjects. Yet, many
normal people can get higher than 98.6 simply because of exercise or exposure. Moreover, gender differences (temperatures are usually higher in women than men)and swings over time (lowest values between 1–8 AM and highest between 4–9 PM) make “normal” a bit more flexible. A more recent study by Mackowiak et al. indicates that the upper limit of normal should be considered an oral temperature of 99.9°F (37.7°C). Fever, therefore, is anything above it
normal people can get higher than 98.6 simply because of exercise or exposure. Moreover, gender differences (temperatures are usually higher in women than men)and swings over time (lowest values between 1–8 AM and highest between 4–9 PM) make “normal” a bit more flexible. A more recent study by Mackowiak et al. indicates that the upper limit of normal should be considered an oral temperature of 99.9°F (37.7°C). Fever, therefore, is anything above it