This Podcast Will Kill You

Ep 187 Hypothermia Part 2: How it helps

Sep 9, 2025
Cold is a fascinating double agent in medicine! The discussion spans therapeutic hypothermia's historical use, from ancient remedies to early neonatal cooling trials. Listeners will uncover the grim legacy of unethical experiments, including those from WWII. The episode highlights how scientists are rediscovering cold's benefits in cardiac care and beyond. With lively debates about pop culture references like Titanic and practical methods for cooling patients, the chilling medical applications of hypothermia reveal a surprising hero in icy circumstances.
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ANECDOTE

Long-Term Follow-Up Of Neonatal Cooling

  • Robert Carlson recounts a 1967 neonatal hypothermia case where the infant recovered and later led a normal life.
  • The child developed subcutaneous fat necrosis but cleared calcium deposits and had normal development long-term.
INSIGHT

Cold Therapy Has Ancient Roots

  • Ancient physicians used cold topically for pain and fevers dating back to the Edwin Smith papyrus and Hippocrates.
  • Cold has long been seen as therapeutic despite mixed rationales and evidence through history.
ANECDOTE

James Currie’s Cold Bath Evangelism

  • James Currie popularized cold water immersion after observing shipwreck survivors and other accounts.
  • His advocacy helped spawn spas and widespread cold-bath practices in later centuries.
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