FROST-BITE

is caused by the freezing of the superficial ti ues of the body. The skin of an area, e.g. an ear, & finger, or a toe, may be frozen hard and no ill effects follow thawing, but more commonly after thawing the skin of the affected part becomes red and swollen and covered with blebs. Later, parts of the skin and underlying ti ues may die and come away asa dry gangrenous ma . The extent of the damage depends on the duration of the cold and its intensity. Duvring the proce of thawing, intense pain is experienced, which pa es away, to be followed by itching and tingling. The result is great deformity if the nose or ears are affected. During the winter months of the Huropean War (1914-8) in France many soldiers were invalided with so called frost-bite of the feet. This was known later as trench-foot, and was not true frost-bite, but was due to changes in the blocd-supply_ of the feet, brought on by prolonged exposure to damp conditions.