Frostbite is tissue damage resulting from being exposed to subfreezing temperatures for a long duration. It causes injury to the skin, muscles, blood vells and reduces drastically the blood flow in the frozen are of the body.

The early signs of frostbite include a general numbness of the affected area of the body, the skin color changes from a flushed rosy color to white or grayish blue tone as the injury progresses. With mild frostbite the skin feels hard while the underlying tissues are soft.

In moderate frostbite large blisters form on the skin, much like a burn would and cause damage to the soft underlying tissues. Taking longer to heal

With severe frostbite, major tissue damage often results in gangerine from the loss of blood supply flowing to the affected area.

The frozen area should be thawed with warm water about 37.8 degrees celsius, of 100 degrees Farinhiet. As quickly as possible. Then loosly bandage the the affected part until professional medical care can be sought.

The area should not be massaged since this may actually cause greater tissue damage. For mild cases, full recovery is possible, but the affected area often will have persistant numbness, a sensitivity to cold and a tendacy to have repeat frostbite. In more severe cases amputation may be necessary.

Enviromental factors: Fundamentally all humans are tropical type mammals, people exposed the least to frostbite live in Australia and Africa and are usually dark-skinned. Such as the Mongolians who thrive and produce well in such regions as Tibet and the high Andes. Native Americans seem to be less prone to frost bite than Caucasians.

Miragration of the early humans to temperate climates seems to have led to lighter skin, less massive bones and straighter hair. The skeleton especially in Caucasion's matures more slowly than in darker skinned peoples.

This was a book report I had to do in school. Exerpts were taken from Grolier Multimedia Encyclopidia, And Worldbook Encyclopida.