Emergency War Surgery NATO Handbook: Part I: Types of Wounds and Injuries: Chapter IV: Cold Injury

Discipline, Training, And Experience

United States Department of Defense

Cold injury is preventable. Well-trained, fit, disciplined soldiers can be protected from cold injury even in adverse, pinned-down positions if they are knowledgeable concerning the hazards of cold exposure and informed regarding the importance of personal hygiene, care of the feet, exercise, and the rational use of clothing. Such discipline and training are a command and not a medical responsibility and reinforcement of these principles throughout the field operations is essential to the goal of protection from cold injury. Although cold injury is preventable, commanders may be faced with circumstances that are likely to lead to large numbers of casualties, and a decision may have to be made to accept a certain number of cold injuries to win the battle. The need for a major offensive in a cold, wet environment, or a retreat when faced by an overwhelming foe, may prompt a commander to accept cold injuries to change the tide of battle. The highest levels of command must be aware of the medical implications of such decisions. The combination of fit, disciplined soldiers, trained for cold weather operations, plus the provision of dry clothing, adequate food, water, and shelter will minimize the number of cold injuries.

Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited.

The listing of any non-Federal product in this CD is not an endorsement of the product itself, but simply an acknowledgement of the source. 

Operational Medicine 2001

Health Care in Military Settings

This web version is provided by The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division.  It contains original contents from the official US Navy NAVMED P-5139, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the US Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense.

Contact Us  ·  ·  Other Brookside Products