Would crawling inside a large, recently-dead animal keep you warm overnight?

[Tim_T-Bonham.net]

@WhyNot

One of the soldiers who was a consultant for MAS*H told the actors a story which Father Mulcahey retold in the interview episode. Apparently, when it got too cold in the OR and their hands began to cramp, the surgeons would sometimes warm their hands over the open incisions of their patients.

This seems real unlikely. Just putting their hands near the bright lights would warm them up much faster. Why wouldn’t they do that instead?

[Princhester]

@Guinastasia

I think also Tauntauns have some sort of anti-freezing chemical in their blood.

Ah, Wookiepedia says

Tauntauns possessed numerous evolutionary adaptations to the bitter, cold environs of Hoth. Those adaptations included wide feet for running across icy surfaces, swiveling ears, thick blubber, chambered lungs and dual nostrils that warmed incoming air, and a digestive system that excreted wastes as oils through skin pores, producing a distinctive odor. The most important feature of tauntaun physiology was their unique blood mixture that was resistant to the tundra winds and kept their organs from freezing.

This makes little sense. An animal only needs antifreeze for its blood if its blood is below freezing. If its body temp is below freezing, then it is going to be of limited use in keeping a human warm.

[Antigen]

@jayjay

Someone’s getting a surprise in their Thanksgiving Taunducken…

snort

[pesch]

If you want an example drawn from real life, let James Lileks tell the story.

(It’s a long and meanadering Bleat, but one of his recent best. If you want to spoil the pleasure, jump down to the bottom of the column).

[WhyNot]

@t-bonham@scc.net

This seems real unlikely. Just putting their hands near the bright lights would warm them up much faster. Why wouldn’t they do that instead?

I’m assuming it’s when they didn’t have much in the way of lights, either. After all, if there was enough gas in the generator for running bright lights, there’d be enough for heat, wouldn’t there? It was a war, after all.

[Slypork]

@WhyNot

One of the soldiers who was a consultant for MAS*H told the actors a story which Father Mulcahey retold in the interview episode. Apparently, when it got too cold in the OR and their hands began to cramp, the surgeons would sometimes warm their hands over the open incisions of their patients.

I really, really hope that’s not apocryphal.

My wife has an open abdominal wound and one cold winter morning her coat was open when she got out of the car. We watched steam rising from her belly where the wound was. Gross but fascinating.

[Adoptamom_II]

@erie774

We watched steam rising from her belly where the wound was.

Have you ever done that little half retching thing involuntarily that you were able to swallow back down with GREAT difficulty?

:::shoves can of almonds further across desk and prays that a new thread will take her mind of of this one:::

[Operation_Ripper]

Thought this sort of thing happened occasionally in the West with Buffalo?

[SandyHook]

A few weeks ago a friend of mine told me about an incident that happened in the winter of1978/79.

He was a sheep herder near Opal, Wyoming and one evening, during a blizzard, a horse came into his camp. It was saddled and he figured it had thrown the rider and he was lying out there some where. As this was the coldest winter in Wyoming for a long time (I lived in Green River, Wyoming at the time and it seemed like it was -40 every morning during January. I saw -52 below on the bank thermometer.) he saddled his horse and went out looking for him.

About morning he found him. The man had cut open a sheep and had his hands and feet inside. The sheep had frozen through by the time he found the man and he had to cut him out of the carcas. He tied him to his horse and led it back to the camp where he left him to go get help. It was a couple of hours or so riding to Opal where he called for help and a helicopter came out and picked up the man. He lost all of his toes and fingers, but lived.

[The_Controvert]

@SandyHook

It was a couple of hours or so riding to Opal where he called for help and a helicopter came out and picked up the man. He lost all of his toes and fingers, but lived.

It would’ve been better if you ended the tale thusly:

He lost:

1. All of his toes.
2. All of his fingers.
3. When he got into town, he said “Hi, Opal!”

[Santo_Rugger]

[HIJACK]

@SandyHook

I lived in Green River, Wyoming at the time and it seemed like it was -40 every morning during January.

Did it seem like -40 C, or -40 F?
[/HIJACK]

[lawoot]

@GusNSpot

Worked good for 'Prince Valiants’™ son one time. It was an Elk I believe.

Or maybe a Shriner.

[Tuckerfan]

On NPR some time back, they did an interview with a British researcher who’d studied reindeer in Siberia and according to him, when a reindeer died, it’s fur was so well designed for insulation that the carcass would rot on the inside, and not freeze solid. So if a tauntaun had fur similar to a reindeer (which seems likely, given the climates), then it would be possible to stay inside of one and survive the cold.

[Bryan_Ekers]

@Pygmy Rugger

Did it seem like -40 C, or -40 F?

First one, then t’other.

[sub](or both at the same time)[/sub]

[Critical_Mass]

@Sage Rat

(i.e. an ice-cycle)

unless you meant something else, it’s icicle [/nitpick]

[medstar]

There was a scene in Rob Roy starring Liam Neeson, that showed this as well. AFAIR, Liam found a dead cow in a river, gutted it, and hid inside until his enemies departed. I hope he used up a whole bar of soap when washing up.