FROST-BITE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21278, 3 September 1932, Page 7 (Supplement)

FROST-BITE

Extreme cold produces conditions resembling those due to extreme heat pain, blistering and in severe cases, gangrene. Frost-bite usually affects Jhe toes, fingers and ears, parts which are normally bluish in many people in frosty weather. Frostbite more particularly affects polar explorers and mountaineers. The part attacked turns bluish, then white, it feels icy and all sensation in it is lost, though above it there is severe pain. In a few hours or days the discoloration of gangrene may be seen. It is a dry gangrene. When frost-bite is discovered, heat and life must be restored to the part gradually. Rubbing with snow in a cold room is the first step. When the part gets a little pink and recovers some sensation, the patient should remove into a warm room and the part be gently rubbed with the hand only, until the part looks and seems more or less normal. The part ■should then be wrapped in * cotton wool and elevated, and then, and not till then should warm drinks be given to the patient, but other forms of heating, such as hot bottles or exposure to the fire must still be avoided. The recovered part soon begins to feel burning and to pass into a state of inflammation.