Use of clothing records to demonstrate acclimatization to cold in man

Abstract

Eight men lived for a year under considerable cold stress, doing hard physical outdoor work for much of the time. Observations of clothing worn and records of comfort vote were made, together with records of environmental conditions. There was a reduction in the number of layers of clothes worn in the last quarter of the period as compared with the first. A comparison between days of equal windchill in the first and second half of the period also showed significant reduction in the clothing assemblies. It is concluded that during a period of prolonged cold stress men do acclimatize to the cold, and this is manifested by a voluntary reduction in the amount of clothing they wear. Submitted on October 29, 1959