The idea that cold-death in water depends upon failure of the heart, accompanied or unaccompanied by breathing, is subject to limitation. One experiment among fifty-seven was typical. This involved survival of a cooling to 25.2° C. [77.4° F.] during a stay of 3 hours in water of 5.5° C. [41.4° F.]. The rectal temperature under these conditions remained constant within slight variations between 27° and 25° C. [81° and 77° F.] for the last hour and a half. Likewise, quite irregularly, no increase in blood sugar occurred. But most striking was the fact that until the end of the experiment and after its termination consciousness was undisturbed. The course of the experiment reminded one of the behavior of certain experimental animals which can withstand extremely low body temperatures for long periods of time. Lower, warm-blooded animals (for example, rats) can endure rectal temperatures of 20° C. [68° F.] for several hours. It is conceivable that this atypical experiment, had it been continued, would have shown also an atypical cause of death. Against this we have the fact that an irregularity had already set in but not before a temperature of 30.1° C. [86.2° F.] had been reached. Also, aside from the fluid pressure increase, the part which the _central nervous system_ plays in the outcome of the experiment seems to us to be _secondary_. The experiments with simultaneous cooling of the neck of course showed how the cooling of the neck and back of the head speeds up the lowering of temperature. This is to be explained by the fact that the counter-controls which are relayed from the temperature center to the periphery, either cannot exist further because of hypofunction of the centers (effect of oedema and cooling), or are no longer transmitted because of cold-blocking of the pathways. But likewise central counter-controls for the areas of the peripheral capillaries may fall; thus delaying the overloading of the heart by extended periphera vasco friction. _VII. The Influence of Pharmacology and the Question of Alcohol_ Now experiments by _Jarisch_ have shown that heart drugs like _strophanthin_ and stimulants like _cardiazol_ and _coramine_ in therapeutic doses may react _toxically_ upon cooled animals. These findings are a warning to be most careful in the medicinal treatment of severely cooled persons, though strophanthin and cardiazol have heretofore been expressly recommended in such cases.