(no subject)

[kyrasantae]

On steam burns being caused by steam condensing on one's skin, not the change in temperature of the water, Dr. B says:

"I mean, you can be in a sauna at a hundred degrees... it's even comfortable. It might cook you, eventually, but it won't hurt you."

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Even 110 °C is bearable for a short time (or longer time if you have experience in going to sauna this way).

And no, you don't cook in a 80 °C sauna even if you stay for half an hour (even if the skin is supposed to burn beyond 60 °C, but any good thermodynamicist will tell you why).

I'm a bit dubitative about the cooking part not hurting, though. Is it like the frog experiment, where you increase gradually the water temperature, but the frog won't jump out because it doesn't notice it is cooking?

Matthieu

[kyrasantae.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I think my professor was just trying to crack a joke. Either that, or the "it won't hurt you" part is referring to the beginning, and not the to the bit immediately before it.