Where There Is No Doctor 2011 31
How to Use a Thermometer
Every family should have a thermometer. Take the temperature of a sick person
4 times a day and always write it down.
How to read the thermometer (using one marked in degrees centigrade—°C):
Turn the thermometer until you
can see the silver line.
Fever
Normal
High Fever
The point where the silver line
stops marks the temperature.
How to take the temperature:
1. Clean the thermometer well with
soap and water or alcohol. Shake
it hard, with a snap of the wrist,
until it reads less than 36 degrees.
2. Put the thermometer…
This thermometer
marks 40 degrees C.
under the tongue
(keeping the
mouth shut)
or
in the armpit if there
is danger of biting
the thermometer
or
carefully, in the anus
of a small child
(wet or grease it first)
3. Leave it there for 3 or 4 minutes.
4. Read it. (An armpit temperature will read a little lower than a mouth reading;
in the anus it will read a little higher.)
5. Wash the thermometer well with soap and water.
Note: in newborn babies a temperature that is unusually high or unsually low
(below 36°) may mean a serious infection (see p. 275).
♦ To learn about other fever patterns, see p. 26 to 27.
♦ To learn what to do for a fever, see p. 75.