Difference Between Fever And Temperature
Fever
Fever, an elevation of the body temperature above the normal level of about 98.6° F (37° C). The normal body temperature varies slightly from one person to another and even in the same person. For some people a temperature of 99° F (37.2° C) is normal, while for others a normal temperature may be as low as 97° F (36.1° C).
In most people the body temperature tends to vary slightly during the day. Although the usual variation ranges from 0.5° F to 1° F, it may fluctuate as much as 2°. Generally, the body temperature is lowest in the early morning hours of deep sleep and is highest in late afternoon.
Fever, known medically as pyrexia, is not itself a disease but only a symptom of an underlying disorder. Although mild or moderate temperatures may cause some discomfort, they are not harmful to the body. Temperatures over 105° F (40.6° C), however, may produce a strain on the heart and other organs. Temperatures over 108° F (42.2° C) may cause death although people have survived fevers of 112° F (44.4° C).
Temperature
Temperature. Although there is an intimate connection between heat and temperature, the relationship is not as direct as that, for example, between mass and weight. Heat is a sensation that is the product, at the macroscopic level, of the activity, or thermal energy, of atoms. The temperature of a body is not a measure of its quantity of thermal energy (heat content), which is always dependent on the nature of the substance being measured.