The immediate treatment of frostbite in the American and German armies in Europe during World War 2: an historical perspective.

This historical account, based on a survey of 250 medical articles written during and immediately after World War II, reviews the immediate treatment of frostbite in the American and German ground troops in Europe from 1941 to 1945. The American management was simpler and more conservative than the elaborate treatments reported in the German publications. Because the German patients' injuries were more severe than those of the American soldiers and because neither Army carried out strict clinical trials nor prolonged follow-ups, it is impossible to judge what treatment was superior.