[Studies on thermoregulative performance of disabled persons with congenital maldevelopment of the limbs and acquired loss of limbs during defined physical work and passive heat load (author's transl)].

Comparative studies were conducted in 20 persons without hands (amputated a long time ago) and in fifteen juveniles (12--15 years) with dysemlia (phocomelia or ectromelia), tested in each case against groups of non-disabled persons of corresponding age. All persons under examination had to perform the same, graded treadmill work under thermoconstant condition (30 degrees C, 45% rel. humidity). These tests pointed towards the existence of a particularly economic mode of thermoregulation in persons with dysmelia obviously involving adaptive processes of energy metabolism as well, whereas such adaptation does not take place--not even in the course of many years--in disabled persons with acquired loss of limbs. The persons with congenital dysmelia showed lower temperatures of the interior of the body, less sweat loss, and on the average a lower uptake of oxygen than non-disabled persons of the same age, whereas higher temperatures of the interior of the body, greater sweat loss, and a higher oxygen uptake were measured in the persons whose arms had been amputated a long time ago (ie persons without hands). Under passive heat load (40 degrees C, 30 min.) the amputated persons showed a corresponding thermoregulative performance as during physical work, in comparison to the non-disabled persons.