The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-29
How We Freeze.

: anybody froze to death yet?" asked
well-znown physician yesterday as a
Constitution man entered his office and
drew up close to the glowing CRATE.
''Not as far as heard from" replied
the scribe
. "By the way" continued the scribe,
IF | should happen to lie out tonight
and freeze, what would be the process?''
1T is very simple" replied the old
doctor. did you ever notice how
drowsy you become in cold weather.
The extreme parts of the body when
subjected for time to a temperature
impressively low readily lose their vi,
tally; the circulation in the small YES
sells become weaker and weaker until il
stagnates, and they are said to be frost
bitten. know man who, while on q
drunken spree, lay out in the woods and
had his toes frozen off. But to proceed
The influence of cold being extended
and still further prOtracted there is great
drowsineSs, with lassitude and extreme
dislike to muscular excrtion. If YOU
succumb to the feeling of drowsiness
and sleep you drop into the sleep Of
death. You would first suffer intense
pain, afterward you would experience 8
benumbing effect, and if walk
ing your steps would become
uncertain and lettering. You
utterance would become indistinct
and an irresistible drowsiness would
seize you. You would drop into SLEEP
from which it would be impossible tC
arouse you, and death would speedily
follow
If you should happen along i'll the
nick of time and find q man at the piont
of freezing to death what would YOU
do?n
The first thing to do is to restore
warmth. but it must be restored grad,
ually. 1t has been found that in cases
of insensibility from cold the sudden ex.
posure of the body to an elevated TEN.
peraturc is certainly fatal. If reaction
takes place, it is short and violent, anC
the patient soon dies, not unfrequently
in a state of delirium. In order to avoie
this danger the man should be frs
rubbed with snow if at hand, which
though in itself cold, is when near tn,
melting point much warmer than tn,
frozen body; or the patient should b.
| immersed IN n bath of very cold water
| made gradually less and less cold unit
| the temperature is raised to the natura
standard As soon as the muscles ant
other soft parts are sufficiently relaxe,
to admit of easy motion, artificial re
| spiration should be resorted to-
might be done by throwing cold waite
upon the face or dashing it upon tn,
shoulders. The sudden impression o
cold upon the surface is 4 powerful
stimulus to the respiratory process
When blowing into the mouth is re
sorted TO, it is best to breathe two o
three times deeply, so rs to give tn
patient better quality of air. =
rs cold injurious to ones system?'
Yes; upon the weak and exhausted
| cold acts as a permanent debility
There is not indeed a more frequent ex
otter of disease than cold, when applied
to the body under certain circumstances
A short exposure will of course do littl
harm, but should a person be out lon!
in it-say for instance he should lose hi
way on winter night-the result woulC
be dangerous. 1t is exceedingly dan
gerous also to 90 from a heated room
into the cold air The fair votaries Q
pleasure and dissipation often fall
sacrifice to the pursuit on this account
and many young dancer has found il
the chilling blast the call 20 an earl,
tomb. '-AtlantG Constitution.