Relationship between cutaneous thermal thresholds, skin temperature and cross‐sectional area of the stimulus

In a recent investigation (Lele, Sinclair & Weddell, 1954) it was found that the threshold to a touch stimulus varied from one cutaneous test site to another. It was therefore decided to investigate the warmth and cold thresholds at various sites to determine whether or not these also show any marked variations and, if so, whether the variations run a parallel course in the case of both the warmth and the cold modalities. In addition, observations were made on the effect of alteration of the skin temperature and of the area stimulated on the thresholds thus obtained. The thresholds were determined in two ways: (1) in terms of the smallest difference of temperature between the test object and the skin which could consistently be detected subjectively within an arbitrarily fixed period of time; and (2) the smallest area which, when suitably stimulated, gave rise to reports referable to a thermal category.