Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Commonly used in medicine, the word decubitus is used to mean lying down. It is derived from the Latin verb âdecumbereâ meaning to lie down.
The brain regulates metabolism and manages other functions to keep your body temperature within a normal range. But the brain can only do so much, and a host of outside factors can affect your body temperature. Controlling and managing these outside factors is key to maintaining a normal body temperature.
A healthy person's body temperature fluctuates between 97 Â°F (36.1 Â°C) and 100 Â°F (37.8 Â°C), with the average being 98.6 Â°F (37 Â°C). The body maintains stability within this range by balancing the heat produced by the metabolism with the heat lost to the environment. fever is usually diagnosed using a thermometer. A variety of different thermometers are available, including traditional glass and mercury ones used for oral or rectal temperature readings and more sophisticated electronic ones that can be inserted in the ear to quickly register the body's temperature.