Temperature taking - cultural difference

[DrFever]

Hi !

I've heard that temperature taking location was partly dependant on cultural factors : Anglo-saxons would be more inclined to take temperature in the mouth, whereas in Continental Europe , armpit would be preferred

Of course you have accuracy, hygene and maturity reasons (You cannot ask a toddler to close their mouth properly, and tympanic temp' can be more conveniently  taken in hospital)

But i have difficulties to imagine what kind of "cultural factors" can exist : Would it be a kind of custom or habitus associated with the idea that "everyone-in-my-family-has-done-that-since-Mathusalem..."?

What's your opinion?

 

[Travel]

I'm Mexican but I've not really observed how other people get their temperature taken. But the armpit seems to be preferred since people (myself included) seem weary of sticking anything with mercury in their mouths.  Now I don't think I've used an electronic thermometer for that, but still, for hygiene, I'd rather not stick a thermometer of any kind in my mouth. 

[vampire_sneeze]

This is a pretty interesting topic! I've thought of these sorts of things before, but always assumed it was just personal preference. Or whatever you were told to do by your doctor/nurse.

[DrFever]

On ‎11‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 9:48 PM, Travel said:

I'm Mexican but I've not really observed how other people get their temperature taken. But the armpit seems to be preferred since people (myself included) seem weary of sticking anything with mercury in their mouths.  Now I don't think I've used an electronic thermometer for that, but still, for hygiene, I'd rather not stick a thermometer of any kind in my mouth. 

As far as I know, mercury thermometer are banned in most countries since the beginning of 21 century…So this fear/caution of mercury seems fated to vanish….

I think that the use  of oral thermometer was spread in pop culture  as it is a good tool of dramatization. and thus might influence the "personal preference". (TvTropes lists a very interessing sum of tropes related to sicknesses (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SickEpisode)) 



 

[Kudryavka]

I grew up (Midwest USA) using the underarm method with a digital thermometer, but on occasion was asked to take it orally.  This made me feel quite embarrassed as I associated it with an "old-fashioned" caretaking method and therefore sexy.... but now it's my preferred due to exactly that same reason.

[Bleh]

And there's also the Celsius/Fahrenheit difference in calculating the temperature, lol.

[DrFever]

Sure there is a difference between Celsius/Fahrenheit….And I must admit it breaks the fantasm to convert ! 

 

On ‎11‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 8:50 AM, Kudryavka said:

I grew up (Midwest USA) using the underarm method with a digital thermometer, but on occasion was asked to take it orally.  This made me feel quite embarrassed as I associated it with an "old-fashioned" caretaking method and therefore sexy.... but now it's my preferred due to exactly that same reason. 

For me too, oral thermometer are sexier….but why? Is it because it shows, on the face, a vulnerability? 



















































































 

 

[Kudryavka]

9 hours ago, DrFever said:

For me too, oral thermometer are sexier….but why? Is it because it shows, on the face, a vulnerability? 

Yes, I think so.  You have to relax a usual psychological boundary to receive something by mouth from someone else making it consensually invasive.  (In the same "sexy" category for me is medicine administered with a spoon.)

Incidentally, both of these are also associated in my mind with the concept of bedside doctor visits which hail from another era where there was more of a mystique about doctors (and scientists in general).  Nowadays we are more democratic and consumeristic about our medical care, but in past times the attitude was that "the doctor knows best", so there was something really dom/sub about that consensual invasion, giving yourself over to their care. 

In any case there's a sense of trust and vulnerability that just isn't there with the underarm method...

[doggo]

I'm from Northern Europe, here it's armpit all the way. Never even seen a person with a thermometer in their mouth. I love the idea though, very sexy, as a person doing that must try to control their face.

The underarm has it's good points too - if another person does it, they must stick their hand under the feverish person's shirt... which is very nice too.

[enfermero78]

On 12/14/2018 at 5:55 PM, doggo said:

The underarm has it's good points too - if another person does it, they must stick their hand under the feverish person's shirt... which is very nice too.

I think that's part of it. I like the thought of taking it this way in a person who is feeling somewhat weak; I'm weird, but I like helping them brace their arm against the side of their body to keep the thermometer from falling out.