Parks Stephenson
Member
I was asked about hypothermia during an interview the other day. In addition, there has been some recent discussion about Baker Joughin's ability to survive the night in freezing water. So, I thought I'd add a thread about hypothermia.
Hypothermia is a condition that the body enters into when its core temperature drops to around 90 deg F/35 deg C. Body processes slow and begin to fail over time. Quite often, the victim dies from cardiac failure.
One of the things that I remember from my cold-water survival training in the Navy is that unless a safe haven is close by (half a mile or so or less), one should drown-proof, NOT attempt to swim. Swimming causes accelerated heat loss and fatigue, which lowers the body's resistance to hypothermia.
According to studies, a person can survive an hour or so (individual resilience varies) in 28 deg. water if they employ proper drown-proofing techniques. If, however, a person attempts to swim, the survival time can be cut in half.
Unfortunately, those who found themselves in the water after Titanic sank had no way of knowing this. A shocking amount of our knowledge about hypothermia comes from Nazi experiments on prisoners. But whether he deliberately planned it or not, Baker Joughin probably saved his own life by taking it easy during his time in the water. If alcohol saved his life, it think it had more to do with its calming effect (slowed down his metabolism, reducing his heat loss) than with any supposed "insulating" effects in his bloodstream.
Parks
Hypothermia is a condition that the body enters into when its core temperature drops to around 90 deg F/35 deg C. Body processes slow and begin to fail over time. Quite often, the victim dies from cardiac failure.
One of the things that I remember from my cold-water survival training in the Navy is that unless a safe haven is close by (half a mile or so or less), one should drown-proof, NOT attempt to swim. Swimming causes accelerated heat loss and fatigue, which lowers the body's resistance to hypothermia.
According to studies, a person can survive an hour or so (individual resilience varies) in 28 deg. water if they employ proper drown-proofing techniques. If, however, a person attempts to swim, the survival time can be cut in half.
Unfortunately, those who found themselves in the water after Titanic sank had no way of knowing this. A shocking amount of our knowledge about hypothermia comes from Nazi experiments on prisoners. But whether he deliberately planned it or not, Baker Joughin probably saved his own life by taking it easy during his time in the water. If alcohol saved his life, it think it had more to do with its calming effect (slowed down his metabolism, reducing his heat loss) than with any supposed "insulating" effects in his bloodstream.
Parks
