The Resistance of Animals to Acute Cold Exposure Following X-irradiation

Summary

The resistance of rats and guinea-pigs to acute exposures of severe cold (−20°c) is lowered following irradiation. The resistance to cold of rats varied inversely with radiation dose, and the effect was present on the first day after sub-lethal doses of x-rays. After sub-lethal irradiation (400 r), the altered resistance persisted through the eighteenth day and then disappeared. After an LD₅₀-exposure to x-rays, the surviving rats exhibited a lowered resistance to cold at six months after irradiation.