Re: Digest Number 2169

From: dzo01 <dzo_at_...>
Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2005 09:36:04 -0000

> HeroQuest-RPG_at_yahoogroups.com wrote:
>
> >> If you're too hot...?
> >
> >
> >
> >Sweat. It's good for you.
> >
> And if you're sweating so much that you can't even see, because the
> sweat is running into your eyes and stinging, and yet you still
feel
> uncomfortably hot, and the light is so blindingly bright that it
> physically hurts to open your eyes, even with a sweatband to
protect
> them from the streams running down your face, (I don't know about
anyone
> else this is what happens to me over about 30 degrees C), what
then? ;)
>
> I hate the heat - its the one reason I'd rather be in Sartar than
the
> Empire :)

In my experience what temps people find comfortable are to a large extent psychcological (apart from babies, the elderly and people with ectodermal dysplasias). I've spent most of my life in sub-tropical climates where 35-38°C with humidity in the 80-100% range was the norm
in summer and the coldest it ever got was ~12°C (in the dead of winter
at 2am). We would run marathons in temperatures of >30°C (occasionaly
as high as 38°C but that was pushing it). As long as you keep hydrated you're fine.

Now, living in the mountains, I'm comfortable in a t-shirt until around 12°C and don't mind skiing in temps of around -10°C if I'm
active (i.e. randonnée/telemark).

So, it is possible to adapt to a huge range of temps.

Otoh, I'm sure in Glorantha there is a great difference in temp sensitivity based on cultural/religious factors. We know that the Agimori are descended from the people of fire and thus are much more tolerant to heat (and I imagine suceptible to cold).

Cheers,
Yak

ps: Alison, I would be interested in your reference for the idea that the number of sweat glands is determined during childhood. It sounds very strange to me because the sweat glands (like hair follicles) are established during embryonic development before birth).