Body temperature in the Nigerian neonate--comparison of axillary and rectal temperatures.

Body temperature was measured in 104 healthy full-term neonates of appropriate weights using the rectal and axillary routes simultaneously at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 min after placement of the thermometer. Normal body temperature in the Nigerian newborn, irrespective of the site where it was obtained, ranged from 35.9°C to 37.5°C. There was a strong positive correlation between axillary and rectal temperatures (r=0.9)