Date Posted:06:57:49 02/13/14 Thu Author: Knut Holt Subject: Rectal temperature in Norway
I grew up in Norway in the 60es and 70es and at that time rectal temperature was standard for both children and adults.
When i was a child and sick it usually happened this way:
My father came to me while my mother stood by the side to look. He often felt on my forehead first. Then he let me rise to a sitting position and let me open my mouth and looked into my mouth to check my throut, while pressing down my tongue with a spoon. Then he let me lie down again.
He then lifted off the blanket and pulled down my underwear that I used to sleep in. Often he felt at my lower stomach and scrotum before proceeding. Sometimes he also pulled down my foreskin and checked my urethral opening.
He then usually rolled me to the side and flexted up my legs. He lubricated the thermometer with vaseline. He then opened my butt cleft with the fingers of one hand and gently slid the tip of the thermometer in through my anus with the other hand.
He held it there quite a long time, while gently pressintg it inwards to hold it in place. Eventually he pulled it out, read the scale, and wiped my anus with some toilet paper. After that he pulled my underwear up again.
This happened 3 times a day when I was sick with fever. Each time it made me a little excited.
Still RT is used here in Norway, even though some prefere to take the temperature in another way, but we use digital thermometers now, also when taking it rectally.
When a Norwegian doctor visits a child that is sick, he often takes the temperature of the child, and always rectally. I have the impression that thay do it not only for temperature taking, but also to check the anus.
