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Microbiology · Chapter 12

Fever: Resetting the Thermostat

A fever is not a broken thermostat. A pyrogen deliberately turns it up. Set a pyrogen dose, then drag through one episode. Watch the hypothalamic set point jump, the body chase it with chills, hold at the plateau, and break in a sweat.

Temperature over timelive model

Set point and body temperature
Drag to move through the episode, or tap a phase on the right.

What is being done about itpick one

Shivering
none
Oxygen demand
100%
Danger
none
One fever episodedrag the slider to begin
83

Set point37.0°
Body temp37.0°
ThermostatOn target
The key idea: in fever the thermostat is not broken. The set point itself is raised. The body then works to reach it, which is the chills. When the set point drops, the body works to leave it, which is the sweats.