Trenchfoot
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Maybe you thought trench foot was one of those weird diseases, like dropsy or the vapors, that went away along with sanitariums and lobotomies. Never thought about trench foot? Well you might for next two minutes, as you listen in to the Weather Notebook. Hi I'm Dave Thurlow.

The truth is that trench foot is still with us. It's a cold-related disease that requires temperatures near freezing but nor necessarily below. Trench foot was first recognized 200 years ago, but it got famous during World War I. That's when many thousands of soldiers had to spend months in damp, cold trenches on the battlefields in Europe. When they couldn't change into dry socks or boots, their feet stayed damp for days or weeks in temperatures below 50 degrees. In those conditions, blood flow was restricted and the soldiers' feet became tingly and blistered. Sometimes they swelled up to two or three times their normal size. In the worst cases, gangrene can set in and a foot may have to be amputated.

Even though most people recover from trench foot, the healing process can be extremely painful. Great Britain had over 20,000 casualties due to trench foot in World War I. By the end of the war, each soldier had spare socks on hand. They also used whale oil to coat their feet and help keep the cold and moisture away.

Nowadays, there aren't many soldiers who spend weeks in cold trenches, but we do have adventure travelers and extreme sports fans. If you spend a few days kayaking through cold water or tromping through a snow field, trench foot can and does still happen, Even though everybody's mom knows how to prevent it "don't forget to change your socks".

Keeping you in the know, The Weather Notebook was written by Bob Henson today and as always is underwritten by the national Science foundation.