Out Cold: A Chilling Descent into the Macabre, Controversial, Lifesaving History of Hypothermia

by Philip Jaekl

“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

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.

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.

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, History, Medicine, Medical, Audiobook, Book Club

Audible Audio

First published June 1, 2021

Reviews

[CatReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phil Jaekl is a neuroscience PhD and science writer. His 2021 book Out Cold explores the niche topic of hypothermia in humans, ranging from therapeutic to incidental to experimental applications. This was an interesting listen; I've hard many of these anecdotes in popular science nonfiction books before (like the story of Norwegian Anna Bagenholm's remarkable full recovery from 80 minutes of extreme hypothermia), but there were some that were new to me, like the macabre and inept antics of cryonics enthusiasts in the 1970s trying to keep cadavers frozen long-term for some future futile attempt at resurrection in a more advanced medical age. Out of morbid curiosity, I would have liked to hear more about ongoing cryonics efforts, as there are still companies that offer these services today (I still remember hearing about how baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams' family had his decapitated head cryopreserved when he died in 2002).

Further reading:
Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, the Cosmos, and Our Future by Neil Shubin - for discussion of how naturally cryopreserved artifacts teach us about geology and anthropology today | my review
The Big Freeze: A Reporter's Personal Journey into the World of Egg Freezing and the Quest to Control Our Fertility by Natalie Lampert - a mainstream therapeutic/experimental hypothermia approach the offer didn't cover | my review

My statistics:
Book 186 for 2025
Book 2112 cumulatively

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like if I had read this instead of listening, I might have liked it more. I didn't like the narrator, way too dramatic and the chapters were an hour long. There was some great information I learned like how we got C/F temperature scales and the base body temperature (which should be reevaluated since this was set by men studied on men a long time ago). I loved the hyporthermia stories and wanted more. I also learned that Mary Shelley based Frankenstein on a real story of a Doctor in Switzerland piecing together body parts to come alive.

A couple of things I wished is that the author put himself into the story more like why did he care about this information (at the least). I felt like this was a dissertation and not a book. I wished he went more in to how we are using cold therapy in modern times. He does touch on it a bit, but I know there is much more. And my general thoughts are it's mostly al ot of uber rich people doing crazy shit to be immortal. Granted, we wouldn't have the Sci-Fi stories that we have now.

I'm not sure a regular reader will like this book, but it was interesting to learn some of the cold stuff.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you get when you cross a neuroscientist and journalist? You get book that will knock you Out Cold with a fascinating, albeit weird, journey though the science behind hypothermia.

The author, and his writing style (as if he is checking in with you throughout the book, like a protective big brother while you’re being told scary campfire stories,) kept my interest and attention all the way through this frosty journey.

We are shown what happens during hypothermia, whether therapeutic, torture induced, accidental, or just plain scientifically; given the definition of the words "cold" and "temperature"; and are brought to witness the invention of the first thermometer and the discovery and recognition of our accepted scientific heat measurement of 37 degrees Celsius. Our chilling brush with the past also includes examples of ancient forms and uses of cold therapy.

The author also discusses extremophiles (hey, if you can’t take the heat...), water torture, exploration of Antarctica, the use of cold for healing, as well as touching on the topic of cryogenics.

Another interesting fact the author touches on is how the determination is made by medical professionals as to whether someone is truly dead post a hypothermic exposure (as some do return to life after being pronounced dead, lending to the expression that “you’re not truly dead until you are WARM and dead.”)

If you’re like me, with all these facts now swirling in your brain, you’re teetering you on the edge of brain freeze, and then the author adds another hard, cold fact to your ever expanding neural connections by exploring how Nazi water tortures, conducted on helpless and innocent people in concentration camps during WWII, still play a part in our science of today. Talk about a thorough walk in the valley of cold.

This is a book you will return to to read and re-read. It definitely will appeal to science minded people, medical professionals, and people who just love obscure and ghoulish facts.

For me, it provided background and information on a therapy that was used on my father after he had a massive heart dysthymia, causing him an anoxic injury from ineffective CPR by a well meaning, yet under educated, bystander. While this therapy didn’t produce a desired outcome for my father, but rather prolonged a horrific journey for him and our family, the information provided and HOW it’s presented allowed this jaded daughter to see just how valuable cold therapy can be if and when used correctly. This is definitely a book that will inspire deep thought and hardy conversation material in an area of science and medicine that can cause great controversy. I highly recommend this book and suggest you grab your copy when it’s released on June 1, 2021. Grab a blanket, a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and snuggle up against the chill of Out Cold . Happy reading my friends!

You can always check out my reviews at http://oceansofbooks.com. Please stop by, leave a comment, follow my blog, or send me your book reading recommendations. After all, sharing is caring and I love to get new reading suggestions and conversations going!

My sincere thank you to Perseus Books, PublicAffairs, NetGalley, and the author Phil Jaekl for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinions and review.

[Nick Vallina (MisterGhostReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fascinating. I had no prior interest in the subject before picking up the book and devoured this book. I learned a lot and felt engaged the whole time. Sometimes nonfiction can get bogged down in the weeds and be a bit boring while conveying the information but this kept my attention the entire time and left me wanting to pick it back up whenever I’d have to put it down. Definitely recommend this for any fans of vaguely macabre or weird stuff.

[Cheyene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've developed in interest in hypothermia and the possibility of human torpor over the past year and a half so was excited to see this book come out. It was an extremely interesting and accessible read. I like how the author covered both the good and the bad side of cold experiments, and he didn't shy away from acknowledging and describing the Nazi hypothermia experiments and their victims. Every section taught me something new and no definitive statements were made without scientific evidence, and in cases where hard evidence did not exist, he helpfully noted this. I appreciate the bibliography in the back. I feel like I'll be referencing this book a lot in the future and I'm glad I bought it!

[Eloise · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, especially the first half. The discussion went to some places I wasn't expecting with some fascinating anecdotes from history.

But I felt that as the book went on, the effort to engage the reader diminished. The latter part lost any kind of intriguing narrative and the focus on the use of cold for medical advances becomes so blinkered, that finishing was a bit of a struggle.

[Shirley Ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combines science and history into a very good read. Made my little science/medicine nerd-self happy 🤓

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a niche book. It tells the story of hypothermia. From quirky antidotes to engaging stories, this book truly shines a light on the way the beginnings of bodily temperature research occurred all the way to how people are using hypothermia today. This book felt like talking to that one friend who’s way too excited about a subject you know nothing about. You could tell the author’s passion for the subject, and at no point did I think I wasn’t learning something. Every paragraph was loaded with facts that helped to drive the story along, but in a way that wasn’t too aggressive or “look what I know”.

Optiman

This was such an interesting part of the book. My first though was about every science fiction movie that I had ever seen. It was so interesting to see that scientist were both the ones promoting this idea as well as being naysayers. I also loved how this was fueled by the Space Race. Hearing about men who could run the mile in three minutes and needs less food was so interesting to ponder. And knowing that cold and hypothermia could have helped to achieve this goal was even cooler (pun totally intended). I also appreciated Jaekl’s writing style in this paragraph because the phrase “Okay, now let’s step back. Notice that there seems to be a stark lack of comprehensiveness here” is totally how I would address the situation as well. It truly feels like a conversation in a book.

Ongoing Research by NASA- SpaceWorks

Okay… I thought I was reading the beginning of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. However, the wild thing this time is that IT’S REAL! How exciting! I also really appreciated the detail that this paragraph got. I was very interesting in both the chilled ambient temperature that the astronauts would need to be in. I wish this would have been expounded on just a little bit more. What is this ambient chill? Give me a temperature! (And you get a temperature and you get a temperature!) Also, I would not want to be the awake astronaut. How would I get back to my chilled temperature? What if something goes wrong? I have many questions, most of them related to a comfort level.

Frankenstein’s Creature / Literature References

I liked this brief foray into the literary arts. I felt that the commentary made sense that cold is an essentially part of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and it was not something that I would have thought of myself. I’m almost encouraged to read it yet again specifically to focus in on this. It was cool to see that influences about cold and electrocution in real life could help to produce a wonderful work of art. I think that this commentary also showed that Jaekl has a lot of range and has done extensive research. To be able to talk about literature in a book (arguably) about science is itself an art.

Naturopathy

I appreciate that this is highlighted. You can see that this is an important part of the field of hypothermia especially in bringing it to the attention of the masses. I liked learning about the people that would go to these treatment centers and it was nice to see that someone could acknowledge naturopathy as a complement to the scientific methods of researching hypothermia.

Overall, this was a very good book about a very niche subject. I hope that more people are apt to pick this book up because it is cool (pun also intended). The only detractor was I didn’t like following the story at the end of each chapter. I was so enraptured in all of the facts and progression through each chapter that I didn’t really get the point of this ongoing example of hypothermia at the end of each chapter. However, that was a minor inconvenience to the joy that I got out of the rest of the book and learning a little more about cold and the role it plays in our world.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your typical everyday book topic but a fascinating one! Which is what appeals so much to me. The author kept me riveted all the way through. As a teen I was involved in a cold water lake canoeing accident causing hypothermia so in a small way this is relatable. Like the author I also live in a cold climate where we annually experience the coldest region of the planet. But this book is more than that...we see what happens during hypothermia, whether therapeutic or not; read what defines "cold" and "temperature"; we discover the invention of the first thermometer, the thermoscope, and how it worked; we see ancient forms of cold therapy and also how 37C was determined.

Why are human beings not "cooked" at hot temperatures in some countries? The author discusses extremophiles, water torture, Antarctica exploration including that of infamous Amundsen, how to determine whether someone is truly dead (as some do return to life after being pronounced dead), the use of healing with cold and finally, cryogenics. Not only this but we learn how dreadful and tragic Nazi water tortures still play a part in science today. And there is so much more to learn, too. I like how the author takes the reader through the ends of each chapter personally with descriptions of how we must be feeling by now...

If you have a thirst for knowledge, especially for the obscure and/or scientific, please do read this enthralling book. Yesterday a friend and I had a lengthy discussion on it. It's that type of book.

My sincere thank you to Perseus Books, PublicAffairs and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this gripping and informative book!

[Joanne Mallett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly believed that I would have enjoyed the book more if I actually read the physical book rather than listening. It is an interesting topics from what I could pay attention to but man I can't do this book on audio.

[nasim · Rating 3 out of 5]

might be because I'm not a huge fan of audiobooks but I didn't particularly enjoy the tone / layout of the book, but did find most of the content interesting.

[Samantha Derewsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd give this more of a 2.5. Some of the topics weren't bad to learn about and could be interesting, but for me, it was a little too scientific/historic to keep me interested the entire time and some of the topics were a bit extreme from history surrounding hypothermia. I wish it included more about newer trends of cold plunging and cryotherapy.

[Em Meurer (emcanread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out Cold: A Chilling Descent into the Macabre, Controversial, Lifesaving History of Hypothermia
by Phil Jaekl
⚡️ I was provided an e-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (Out on June 1, 2021)
🌟: 4 / 5
📚: An in-depth history of hypothermia, from the ancients all the way to making science fiction a reality.
💭: I love a nonfiction book where you put it down and just go “whew, that was some good sci-comm.” Buds, this is that book. As science fiction as it sounds, and it does sound very sci-fi because a good chunk of it was inspired by fictional science, the ultra cool (let me do one pun here) science explored in Out Cold is as real as it gets

In a similar vein to Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void and Jennifer Wright’s Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them, Jaekl traces the history of using cold therapy from the ancient Egyptians to the invention of thermometers to cryotherapy. It’s a fascinating look at how we can apply hypothermia survival strategies that our bodies naturally adopt to make emergency medicine safer.

There are a few things that I look for in scientific nonfiction before I feel good about recommending it: is there a holier-than-thou or condescending tone when explaining a concept, is there a knowledge barrier that you need to get over before you can read it, are there anecdotal explanations that can help someone understand? The best thing about this book is that pretty much anyone can read it. The science is explained in simple, but interesting, terms that doesn’t feel dumbed down at all. As outlandish and sci-fi as the concepts outlined in this one are, it’s all well-researched (the author has a neuroscience background) and genuinely fun to read.

(Also the cover is GORGEOUS, so big bonus there, if you're me.)

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-Fiction>Science/Biology history

I expected this book to be a little different than it was. I guess I was looking forward to more updates regarding our understanding of how to use cold therapeutically instead of a history of all we've gotten wrong and so much of that history seems to barely qualify as 'science.' The Conclusion chapter is a nice synopsis of what is discussed throughout the book so if you're on the fence about whether or not to read this then I recommend you skip to the conclusion and see if you want to read about the details of what the author discusses there.
I found myself thinking of the movies Flatliners and Contact, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and mad scientists frantically pushing frozen corpses into cryo-tubes. The final chapter did go in the direction I expected the whole book would with current research using cold temperatures to abate bleeding in trauma victims. Most of what I enjoyed about this book was the philosophical ideas that are brought up: What does it mean to be dead? Is our humanity found in our memories, biology, or something else?

The book is very short and it was worth reading but just wasn't what I expected. The author is a scientist but comes off to me as a little fascinated with possibly far-fetched ideas about the uses for hypothermia. Though, without curious scientists where would we be, right?

"How a normothermic, stable body temperature was discovered involved some exciting experiments in the 1700s."

"Much of the devastation wreaked by cold throughout the ages could have been prevented if we'd known then the science that we know now."

"Using diathermy, the heating of internal tissue with high-frequency electromagnetic current, the researchers were able to resuscitate hamsters that had been supercoooled to as low as 22F (-6C). In some of these animals ice crystals could be seen in their internal tissues and blood."

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really cool! (Okay, no more temperature puns)

Formalities: I got a free e-ARC of Out Cold from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

So I’m going to start with the fact that I did struggle with this book a little bit. There was a lot of information and I feel like I would have absorbed it better with a physical copy or possibly an audiobook. However, I don’t really feel like that’s necessarily the book’s failing and more just my preference.

On to the book: Out Cold stretches from Ancient Greece and Egypt to the cutting edge of hypothermic treatment today, and manages to make what could easily be a boring subject very interesting. One of the first sidebars of the book is a story of a woman who fell under ice into freezing cold water and was without a heartbeat for three hours. However - you aren’t dead ‘til you’re warm and dead, and this woman survived.

Jaekl then takes us through the more modern history of how hypothermia has been deliberately used in the medical field to save lives, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. Cryogenics makes an appearance, as does a superhuman “Optiman” that never came to be.

In the end, I greatly enjoyed Out Cold and will more than likely buy myself a physical copy so I can really absorb all of the information.

[Kimberlee (reading.wanderwoman) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild ride! I love a good nonfiction book with all the terrifying, educational, inspiring and questionable stories from the past to the present. In this case all about cold therapy and or doctor induced hypothermia and ways in which it healed annnnd ways in which it hurt.

When people say the truth is stranger than fiction, it ALWAYS rings true when reading nonfiction books, especially one like this. From freezing and preserving bodies in hopes that the future of humanity will find a way to revive them from death, to potential head transplants, to many, many failed experiments.😳

That said there are many aspects to cold therapy that have worked and still continue to be used today as well as the continued work to find better ways of healing. A fascinating book about the past, present and future of hypothermia.

[Rosalie Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant! Chapter by chapter this book takes you on a wild ride and artfully combines history, science and humour. My favourite chapters were on cryogenics, I could not believe some of the things I was reading about actually happened! Out Cold does a great job of putting some complicated science into terms that the reader can understand, Jaekl breaks everything down so it's easy to follow and you don't feel lost reading about topics like vitrifixation and cryonics. I highly recommend this book to anybody, get ready to gasp, laugh and go on quite the chilling descent into the history of hypothermia!

[Dea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected this to be nothing more than an entertaining pop science book, the kind some people like to read while sitting on the toilet, but even those super duper low expectations were not met.

No discernible organization to the topics covered. Long rambling anecdotes about things that were barely related to cold. No fact checking, instead asking us to entertain the idea that what the author read in a tabloid was actually true.

A complete waste of time. I feel embarrassed that I asked my library to get a copy.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Out Cold. Years ago I researched the Nazi experiments on hypothermia for a class paper and have been interested in hypothermia since. This book does a great job of tracing the history of the term 'hypothermia', research done on hypothermia by humans, and general interest in the subject. I learned a lot. It's a easy to understand book and a good read. I received an ARC copy in exchange for a review on netgalley, however, I will probably purchase this book for myself.

[Mandy Hazen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. I am obsessed with the cold and if given the choice would pick the cold over the heat any other day. For a reason I am obsessed with what happens with hypothermia. It was so interesting to read stories of people who have survived for long periods of time outside in the cold and even declared dead and then later came back to life. So crazy. Strongly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lauren D'Souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not 100% sure what made me request this book on Netgalley - maybe it’s my penchant for mountaineering adventure books, where you often read about the chilling (excuse the pun) effects of extreme cold and low oxygen, or maybe it’s my affection for well-written science nonfiction, like any of Mary Roach’s or Bill Bryson’s books. This didn’t quite satisfy either “itch” I had, but was still a somewhat interesting read.

It’s not anything nearly as salacious or thrilling as those adventure books, and not narrative or colloquially-written enough to fit into the category of those scientific nonfiction bestsellers. It’s a bit too academic (historical/scientific) at times, and very much focused not just on hypothermia, but specifically on the history and evolution of the use of cold as a medical therapy or treatment.

The author introduces the subject by defining cold and one of the other fundamental concepts of the book: our stable internal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, why that exists, and how cold can impact it. He then tracks the history of the fatality of “coldness” back to the ancient Greeks and the Napoleonic wars, in which soldiers perished in cold water or died from prolonged exposure to cold. The earliest example of cold being used as a therapy was found by an Egyptologist, who discovered that ancient Egyptians used cold compresses to soothe wounds.

Other interesting historical anecdotes in the book include the inhumane mid to late 1800s practice of using cold water douching to treat mental illnesses in asylums, the invention of the thermometer, Nazi doctors experimenting on concentration camp prisoners to test how long humans can survive in cold water, explorations of what makes Himalayan or Inuit peoples more naturally acclimatized to cold or high altitudes, and developments in cryonics (spoiler alert: it’s still not real).

Overall, this is a pretty quick read on a topic you may not know a lot about. If you’re into that sort of thing, give it a go! Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A non-fiction narrative for the nerds, scientists, and those interested in strange facts for a chilling ride. Jaekl’s structure for Out Cold was informative and was based around what happens to the body at certain temperatures. The details of the information surrounding the how and why is written informatively with inviting descriptions. The breakdown of what the hypothermia process looks like across people, cultures, and studies is what makes this narrative unique. He tackles both the positive and the negative research that has formed what we currently know happens when the human body is subjected to extreme temperature.
Not a single gory detail of hypothermia is left out of this narrative. The fascinating part is way Jaekl was able to weave a single page of fiction with scientific bounding in between each chapter to create this eerie pace between each learning pieces. The only thing I would have loved is some key summary points at the end. However, if you are okay with it – take notes when you read it and write in it to really harden the points that are new to you or expand your knowledge. I picked this up from the library at a whim to help kick off my winter reading!
There is a lot of dark history within the scientific research that I believe Jaekl handles elegantly. Without glorifying nazi inhumane experiments and other similar inhumane projects – he discusses all the data. He discusses the inhumanity of that kind of data and goes onto expand to the positive research that begins to look at this type of science without harming a person. Overall, a fantastically written read that is clearly well researched and developed. 4.75 rounded up.
Check out my blog to read more recommendations, reviews, and tarot readings here, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com/

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out Cold chronicles the history of using cold in medicine and hyperthermia. This covers experimentations, accidents, and all different kinds of medical marvels. This is a topic that is not really something that I have ever really thought of when it comes to medical history, but it ended up being a really fascinating one.

I learned a lot about hypothermia and the use of cold in medicine from this. I never even heard of all the people who were mentioned in this book, so I was constantly captivated by the interesting, and sometimes horrific, experiments and cures they did with cold treatments. This even covers things like how to handle the cold of space for astronauts and possibilities of hibernation for long term space flights.

Not only does this discuss medical marvels, but it also covers more modern things like cryonics and how people are freezing themselves after death in the hopes of being revived in the future. This goes over the origins of cryonics with Robert Ettinger, the first people put into cryogenic pods after death, the many controversies and failures, and its current outlook. I found this section so fascinating because while I have heard of cryonics, I never really done any research into it because I know it's not something I want to do with my body when I die.

Overall, this was a fascinating look at hypothermia, cold treatments, and how cold has been used throughout history and today. I learned a lot and want to do more research on some of the people and things discussed in this book now.

TW: treatment and experiments that was basically torture; animal testing, abuse, and death;

[Marcia Honeycutt Roseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out Cold by Phil Jaekl is a non-fiction novel based on the history of cold, specifically hypothermia. The author takes the reader though the history of hypothermia dating back to the invention of the thermometer and how human kind determined the base temperature of humans through current medical practices of therapeutic hypothermia (using cold temperatures to cure the human body or slow down sickness).

In between these timespans the author provides the reader with in-depth insights into the science (or lack thereof) of the rationales for certain treatments, invented modalities, and even ultimately - epic fails. This novel is a perfect non-fiction read for those within the medical field, those who pursue science, or those with a love of history and how world events intertwine with science and medicine.

It is important to note that some of the treatment modalities and experiments can be difficult to read from an ethical or emotional viewpoint. However, the reader must remember that science in history was extremely archaic and remember the timeframe in which the events occurred. The author does a exemplary job of reminding the reader of this when providing examples and by showing an unbiased factual explanation. In many case examples, the author includes points of view from the opposition, as well as, the supporter of the events.

[Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been chipping away at this for awhile. Cryobiology has been a field of interest in mine after learning about how several species of animals are able to survive in harsh climates given their unique adaptations. I heavily enjoyed the broad historical reach this book had looking at multiple periods as cryobiology and cryotherapies have become more refined and nuanced. I think more could be said about several of the ethical aspects historically, but I still appreciated the story all the same. The biggest area that I would have liked to see explored more was the ending with EPR and other studies looking at DHCA usage in cardiac arrest. Outside of that, I am also surprised that cold plunges and cold showers or Wim Hof all escaped mention, but given the more recent popularity of these concepts and the 2019 publication date, I think the timeline just missed each other. Otherwise, a fantastic way to introduce many concepts in the field of cryobiology without becoming overly technical.

[Bailey Bridgewater · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book club pick, and since I read a lot of cold weather adventure writing (polar expeditions, Everest climbs, etc), I figured it would dovetail nicely with those, since hypothermia comes up so frequently. Indeed, this author delves into the history of hypothermia using real-life patient antecdotes, as well as scholarly papers and historical archives to cover the subject. Some of the topics covered are extremely disturbing (head transplant, anyone?) and not for the squeamish. There are also a lot of experiments covered that are ethically horrid. The author does not seem as quick to decry these as he should - including the Nazi cold torture experiments. Nonetheless, it's an overall pretty interesting topic, and he does a decent job providing background and using enough stories from real life scenarios to keep it interesting. I do feel like I learned quite a bit.

[Paracosm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting. My favorite part was the second half of the book, once the author starts focusing more in modern medical advances rather than history. That doesn't mean that the first half was boring at all. The part about the cryogenics scam was hilarious, I want to watch a movie about it.

The short story about the person dying in the cold was certainly something. The author is definitely better at writing non fiction. The story itself wasn't particularly good, but including it gave the book more flavor. It was certainly a choice.

Another thing I liked was how the author almost never included himself in the book. I've seen it in other non fiction. Where there's basically diary entries about the authors family, and what they ate, and the random chats they had that add nothing. I'm glad you get none of that in this book.

[Erin Dexheimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grabbed this book out of pure curiosity, and it was a fascinating review of the history (both good and bad) that went into what we know today about cryobiology and hypothermia. The book takes you through captivating survival stories, a brief history of Fahrenheit/Celsius, to learning about cold applications of the ancient Egyptians, to the Space Race, to modern day science and more including the context each one provided about what we know about cold/hypothermia as a therapeutic measure.

I really appreciate how the author emphasized the injustices and atrocious experiments both humans and animal victims endured, paying special attention to ethical considerations of scientific experiment.

On an another note, this was super fun to read in the middle of winter!

[Amanda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ya'll, I cringed listening to this book more than I can count! It was creepy in a very cold science-y way. I got this one on #audible, and I can safely say this is not one I would have gotten thru without listening. This author explored alllllll the uses for cold both real and pseudo science and even futuristic, and many of them grossed me out 🤣.

There was a lot of info packed into this one, but the writing was conversational. The content is definitely Bizarre. I learned some things that could be useful (like treating frostbite with cold) but then I also learned things I wish I had never heard like people aren't really dead until they start the process of decomp...😶

[sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a highly readable (or listenable, in my case) look into hypothermia. It covers from the history of understanding temperature, body temperature, and old-timey cold-based remedies to speculation about where cold medicine could go in the future. (Head transplant, anyone?)

While some may not enjoy it, I really did like the inclusion of future speculation in this book. While mostly unlikely, they were not just conjectures from the author but referenced speculation from experts in the field. I haven't read many nonfictions that include speculation, and I thought it was a really cool addition.