Water possesses a relatively high specifi c heat, meaning that it can
absorb a large quantity of heat energy for a given increase in temperature.
The specifi c heat of water is 4.18 J/g°C. In comparison, the specifi c heat
of alcohol is 2.40 and that of granite is only 0.79. This unique characteristic
of water means that the body can absorb heat, derived either endogenously
or exogenously, and will experience a much smaller change
in temperature than would be the case if, for example, the primary body
liquid were alcohol.