Tolerance to extreme cold at altitude in a Nepalese pilgrim

¹ Division of Human Physiology, National Institute for Medical Research, Medical Research Council Laboratories, London, England

Body temperature and respiratory experiments are reported on a Nepalese pilgrim who survived, uninjured, 4 days of exposure at 15,000–17,500 ft in midwinter, wearing only light clothing and no shoes or gloves. His resistance to cold depended on elevation of metabolism and, unlike tolerance of immersion in cold water, was not related to subcutaneous fat thickness. He slept soundly in spite of the cold and so did not become exhausted. In 3–4-hr experiments at o C (clothed), rectal temperature and skin temperature over the trunk showed only minor changes; hand and foot temperatures did not fall below 10–13 C. Maintenance of body temperature was accounted for by elevation of metabolism.

Submitted on February 19, 1963