Trench Foot
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Related to Trench Foot: immersion foot
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Trench Foot
a foot disorder resulting from prolonged exposure to cold and dampness and resembling frostbite. Trench foot occurs at above-freezing temperatures. The condition, which was first described at the time of World War I, was observed among soldiers who spent long periods in damp trenches. Mild cases of trench foot are marked by painful numbness in the feet as well as edema and reddening of the skin; cases of moderate severity, by serohemorrhagic blisters; and extreme cases, by necrosis and associated infection of the internal tissues.
Hospital treatment of trench foot includes immobilization, novocaine blocking, anticoagulants, physiotherapy, and surgery when indicated.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.