“A fascinating look into the strange and sometimes unbelievable history of hypothermic medicine. Jaekl weaves together a story that is part history lesson and part science thriller. This is truly a must-read for any fan of science and science fiction!” -Douglas Talk, MD/MPH, chief medical consultant, SpaceWorks Inc., Human Torpor Project
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The meaning of the word “hypothermia” has Greek origins and roughly translates to “less heat.” Its symptoms can be deadly-shivering, followed by confusion, irrationality, and even the illusion of feeling hot. But hypothermia has another side-it can be therapeutic.
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In Out Cold, science writer Phil Jaekl chronicles the underappreciated story of human innovation with cold, from Ancient Egypt, where it was used to treat skin irritations, to eighteenth-century London, where scientists used it in their first explorations of suspended animation. Throughout history, physicians have used cold to innovate life extension, enable distant space missions, and explore consciousness.
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Hypothermia may still conjure macabre images, like the bodies littering Mt. Everest and disembodied heads in cryo-freezers, but the reality is that modern science has invented numerous new life-saving cooling techniques based on what we've learned over the centuries. And Out Cold reveals a surprisingly warm future for this chilling state.
