Vulcan Body Temperature

[Brandyjane]

I've read a lot of stories where it is mentioned that T'Pol (or other Vulcans) have very high body temperatures. The other day I was poking around on Memory Alpha, and I came across this:

Vulcan blood vessels are more dilated than Humans. The larger blood vessels are the reason Vulcan blood pressure is lower. The dilated blood vessels and fast heart rate also play a key role in regulating Vulcan body temperature. A standard 91F body temperature is maintained by the internal cooling mechanism of fast blood circulation (Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual). Vulcans do not have sweat glands, and cannot rely on evaporation as a means of cooling their bodies in the harsh heat of their planet's desert climate. Expelling heat through radiation is insufficient. Vulcans evolved an internal cooling mechanism. With an average body temperature of 91F (Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual), the high blood flow circulates cool blood throughout their body. This systematic means of cooling gives credence to McCoy's comment "that green ice water you call blood" (TOS: " The Paradise Syndrome")

It's not a huge deal to me either way, but I was just curious what you guys thought about it. Is Memory Alpha accurate about this?

[enterprikayak]

*did* we ever hear of t'pol's temp on the show? I can't remember.

If McCoy's green ice water comment is the only thing MAlpha is going on, I'd say, there's a possiblity that he was speaking metaphorically. Accusing V's of having icy blood since they're so dispassionate, regardless of the actual temp of their blood from a xenoscientific point of view.

[Distracted]

That's peculiar. I've always assumed that Vulcans had higher body temps than humans, but I don't know where the notion came from. For all I know I read it in a piece of fanfic and it sounded good so it stuck.

[WarpGirl]

They said it on VOY... Ah another contradtiction... God I love canon, NOT!

[Enerdhil]

*did* we ever hear of t'pol's temp on the show? I can't remember.

Well, Trip claims her hands are icy cold during one neuropressure session...

[Cogito]

The idea of blood flow providing an 'internal' cooling mechanism doesn't make sense to me. All it can do is equalise the temperature throughout the body. This would make any cooling available at the skin's surface more effective, but without sweating the only cooling mechanism I can see would be thermal conduction to the air. That would not cool them below the ambient air temperature, which in a desert I would assume to be quite high. So it seems to me that Vulcans would have to have evolved to tolerate being very hot, and their normal body temperature would be above the typical air temperature on Vulcan. That can't be drastically hotter than earth because Archer did survive there for a day or so without large quantities of water or any medical aid.

[WarpGirl]

Well Trip might have been trying to cover his shock/arousal that T'Pol was toching him like that. Cogito it's just an example of Trek Science with all the canonical contradictions, you can easily do what you want and be correct.

[Cogito]

it's just an example of Trek Science with all the canonical contradictions, you can easily do what you want and be correct.

Yes you're right, but I do prefer it when the science is self-consistent and credible, even though some things established by canon might make it difficult to achieve that.

[WarpGirl]

Most people do. Me, I pick my battles. If I got miffed over the crazy biology science, I'd have no energy to be miffed over the important stuff. Like the fact that T'Pau was too young. (I think that's my least controversial complaint)

[Cogito]

Like the fact that T'Pau was too young.

I haven't done the sums to work that out but I'm sure you're right. But she's young, female and attractive. That's automatically OK. Sorry, I don't make the rules ...

[WarpGirl]

Men!

[Brandyjane]

*did* we ever hear of t'pol's temp on the show? I can't remember.

If McCoy's green ice water comment is the only thing MAlpha is going on, I'd say, there's a possiblity that he was speaking metaphorically. Accusing V's of having icy blood since they're so dispassionate, regardless of the actual temp of their blood from a xenoscientific point of view.

That's how I always interpreted McCoy's comment.

That's peculiar. I've always assumed that Vulcans had higher body temps than humans, but I don't know where the notion came from. For all I know I read it in a piece of fanfic and it sounded good so it stuck.

Same here. It just sounds right for Vulcans to have a higher body temperature. It makes me wonder, though, how many other "facts" we all take for granted about the Trek universe are based on fanon.

The big one that sticks out to me is the notion that Vulcans have bad night vision. I know the idea originally came from a story (was it Black'nBlue?), but I've seen a lot of other authors use that idea, too, and I've accepted it as well.

Another example is that even though we never heard Hess's first name, nearly every fic I've read with her in it gives "Anna" as her first name. That's how I think of her now, too.

[Cogito]

*did* we ever hear of t'pol's temp on the show?

Lemme get this straight: You're asking if T'Pol was hot? Seriously?

[WarpGirl]

Well like I said they did say something about it in VOY. Because Vulcans spike much higher fevers than humans. If I remember right, someone asked why either Vorik or Tuvok (I honestly can't remember which) wasn't dead with a fever of like 110. Doc said Vulcans are hotter than humans because the heart rate was faster or something along those lines. I'll try to find the episode. That said they can also get much colder without dying as quickly. Tuvok said something about it once. They seem to be very simular to Andorians when it comes to adapting to tempatures.

Cogito is that the best you can do?

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

We have seen Vulcans sweat (T'Pol in any decon scene for example), so that part about having no sweat glands can't be accurate.