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Ice Mask, C.T. Madigan, Australasian Expedition 1911-1914 Photo by Frank Hurley |
In the nineteenth
century, frostbite treatment consisted of rubbing the affected area with snow.
This is largely the result of Baron Larrey, surgeon-in-chief of Napoleon’s army
during the invasion of Russia in the winter of 1812-1813. He advocated friction massage with ice or
snow and the avoidance of heat in thawing.
This was the treatment of frostbite until well into the 1950’s.
Turns out the
Baron got it all wrong. In 1956, Merryman,
a public service medical officer in Alaska disproved this treatment. Today we
know that the treatment of frostbite starts with gradually thawing frostbitten extremities
in warm water and other areas in a warm blanket. Rubbing snow or anything else on the affected
area only causes further damage.
Today, there is
still the entrenched belief that if you think you have frostbite, rub it with
snow. Don’t do it. And, if you are trapped in your car during a
blizzard, stay put. Not only will you be better
protected from the cold, but you will be easier to find once help arrives.
References and
further reading:
·
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/frostbite/DS01164
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