The Shasta courier., 1869-01-23
SHASTA COURIER.
treatment of Frozen Flesh.

The season has now come when there
will be many instances of frost bites OF
more or less severity, and few words on
the treatment of these cases may not be
out of place in our columns. Frozen flesh
is not difficult to manage, if we do not at
tempt to improve upon or hasten the
method which nature has provided tor
thawing the fluids that have become con-
gealed in the flesh. The correct method OF
thawing any portion of living flesh that
has become frozen is to let the thawing
commence by the action OF the warm arte-
rial blood on that portion that Is deepest
from the surface. The reason of this is
that as soon as one part of the frozen flesh
becomes melted by the action of the warm
blood it is Immediately conveyed away by
the veins without the rupture Of any OF
the delicate network of vessels that con-
st;tute the flesh If, however, the thaw-
ing commences on the surface, then the
blood as it becomes liquid will remain out
side the frozen part, as all the tubes are
oxen up that would otherwise convey Il
away. This blood soon changes in color,
EXPANDS with the heat, and causes intense
pain, if indeed it does not rupture some OF
the delicate blood vessels contained in the
flesh.
1t is obvious then that we must not thaw
frozen flesh by the application of external
heat, but must wait tor the slow but natural
process we have spoken of; we must even
protect the frozen surface from the warmth
of the room where we may be, to give
time for the thawing to go on gradually
from within, SO that the skin shall be the
last portion that yields to the action OF the
heat.
How shall we accomplish this desired
result? Pack the frozen foot, hand OF nose,
as the case may be, in ice or snow, is the
ready answer Not too fast. If the snow
is within degree or two of the freezing
point it is very well; the interior portion
of the frozen flesh would 90 on thawing
till the surface was reached But suppose
the snow or ice is seventy degrees below
the freezing point what then? Why, OBJ
viously the freezing might 60 on until the
entire limb was frozen mass. This is not
unfrequently the case. Many people seem
to forget that snow and ice vary in temper
ature like all other substances, and ac-
eordingly they would apply snow or ice to
a frozen limb without testing the degree Of
cold they contained.
Now the proper way to proceed is this
Put the frozen part into water in which
there is considerable portion of ice in
small pieces. The ice will keep the tenn
perature of the water down to about the
requisite degree of GOODNESS, but there will
be no danger of the freezing going on
while the water remains uncongealed. A
thermometer is very convenient to test the
temperature of the water. If one becomes
frozen at distance from house it would
be advisable to plunge the hand as deep
as possible into drift of snow, and take
some of that to apply to the afflicted parts,
as it will be at a temperature much above
that on the surface.
Nothing is better settled than that the
frozen portion should not be rubbed, as
the flesh would become very sore in con
sequence. The flesh near to that which
is frozen may be rubbed, however, to gooc
advantage, as that will hasten the circula
ton of blood.-Prairie Farmer.