FREEZING 21} 



and comfort is produced. In reality, even the body's 

 reserve heat is being lost through this rush of blood 

 to the surface, and if the exposure to cold continues the 

 subsequent chill is often fatal. 



Freezing. A similar feeling of warmth comes to a 

 person who is on the point of freezing. As a result of 

 the extreme cold, the heat-controlling mechanism appar- 

 ently becomes fatigued in its effort to retain the blood 

 within the trunk. Consequently, the blood rushes to 

 the surface and gives to the person who has been vigor- 

 ously struggling against freezing a grateful feeling of 

 warmth, comfort and drowsiness. If he yields to it and 

 stops the exertions upon which his supply of heat 

 depends, he quickly freezes to death. 



Owing to the exposed condition of the fingers, toes, 

 nose and ears, and to the tendency of their blood-vessels 

 to contract in the cold, they are especially liable to be 

 frozen. Before they are actually frozen, vigorous rub- 

 bing will frequently restore the circulation. When 

 frozen, they should be thawed out as soon as possible 

 by applications of very cold water, melting ice, or melt- 

 ing snow. After being thoroughly thawed, the cold 

 applications should be continued, in order to restrain 

 the intense inflammatory reaction which may lead to 

 extensive sloughing of the skin and even to a loss of the 

 frozen parts. The use of warm applications under these 

 conditions serves to aggravate the subsequent inflamma- 

 tion and is therefore most harmful. 



Rise in body temperature. In fever, we have, in- 

 stead of a decrease in the body's temperature, an in- 

 crease which in extreme cases amounts to as much as 

 seven or eight degrees. This seems to be due both to 

 an increase in the generation of heat by the tissues of 

 the body and to a derangement of the heat-controlling 



