Heat Loss From Toes and Fore-Feet During Immersion in Cold Water

Abstract
When the toes or the fore-foot of a comfortably warm subject are placed in water at 0 -6[degree]C there is almost complete arrest of the circulation, followed by vasodilatation, and then by alternating periods of vasoconstriction and vasodilatation. At the height of cold vasodilatation the heat loss reaches an average value of 490 cal./100 ml. of toes/min. and 110 cal./100 ml. of fore-foot/min. The comparable values for the finger-tip, whole finger and hand are 2200, 877 and 200 cal./100 ml./min., respectively. During cold vasodilatation the avg. internal temp. of the toes is 12[degree]-14[degree]C.