Numerous researches of the investigative and therapeutic type have indicated that there exists in schizophrenia some abnormality of the autonomic nervous system, particularly of the sympathetic division. The conclusions, however, have not been definitive, and it was with the hope of throwing further light on this aspect of the problem that the present study was undertaken. It concerns an attempt to estimate this dysfunction quantitatively by studying it from the point of view of heat regulation. Since the vasomotor activity of the organism is intimately related to its thermal equilibrium and since this status can be accurately measured, such information as may be derived from the study may be expected to shed light on certain aspects of autonomic reactivity.
METHOD AND MATERIAL
In this research studies were carried on under quiet resting ("basal") conditions and also in a "stress" situation in which the organism was forced to adapt to a