An apparatus for therapeutic hypothermia, comprising: a plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices distributed on a therapeutic unit (12, 90) configured as a helmet structure (12, 92) for attachment to one or more portions of a head and neck of a human body for creating a state of therapeutic craniocervical hypothermia to control cooling and re-warming; at least one fluid passageway disposed adjacent each of said thermoelectric cooling devices; a water circulator and heat exchanger configured for pumping a fluid through said at least one fluid passageway; a thermally conductive layer within said helmet structure configured to contact the scalp of a human body for thermal transfer between said thermoelectric cooling devices and the one or more portions of the head and neck of a human body; a plurality of temperature sensors coupled near the interior surface of said thermally conductive layer, said temperature sensors configured for sensing temperature of the skin; and an electronic circuit comprising a processor circuit configured for controlling said thermoelectric cooling devices in response to a difference in temperature measured by each temperature sensor of said plurality of temperature sensors; wherein said electronic circuit further comprises a full bridge controller for bi-directional current control using pulse-width modulation and a proportional integrator-differentiator controller in the feedback loop for controlling each of said plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices; said plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices are grouped into more than one group, and wherein each said group is controlled separately by said electronic circuit configured for controlling said thermoelectric cooling devices in response to a difference in temperature between temperature measured by said temperature sensors and a temperature set point, based on a temperature profile with slightly different temperatures at different locations, and for programmed patterns of cooling and heating cycles. a plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices distributed on a therapeutic unit (12, 90) configured as a helmet structure (12, 92) for attachment to one or more portions of a head and neck of a human body for creating a state of therapeutic craniocervical hypothermia to control cooling and re-warming; at least one fluid passageway disposed adjacent each of said thermoelectric cooling devices; a water circulator and heat exchanger configured for pumping a fluid through said at least one fluid passageway; a thermally conductive layer within said helmet structure configured to contact the scalp of a human body for thermal transfer between said thermoelectric cooling devices and the one or more portions of the head and neck of a human body; a plurality of temperature sensors coupled near the interior surface of said thermally conductive layer, said temperature sensors configured for sensing temperature of the skin; and an electronic circuit comprising a processor circuit configured for controlling said thermoelectric cooling devices in response to a difference in temperature measured by each temperature sensor of said plurality of temperature sensors; wherein said electronic circuit further comprises a full bridge controller for bi-directional current control using pulse-width modulation and a proportional integrator-differentiator controller in the feedback loop for controlling each of said plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices; said plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices are grouped into more than one group, and wherein each said group is controlled separately by said electronic circuit configured for controlling said thermoelectric cooling devices in response to a difference in temperature between temperature measured by said temperature sensors and a temperature set point, based on a temperature profile with slightly different temperatures at different locations, and for programmed patterns of cooling and heating cycles.