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Can you safely heat people with microwaves? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 2 months ago by Eiri@lemmy.ca to c/askscience@lemmy.world
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Sometimes, when I'm really cold, it can take over an hour to warm me up, even with a heating blanket. The quickest solution, a hot shower, feels really inefficient with all the heat going down the drain.

That got me thinking about microwaves. They heat food (partly) from the inside, contrary to simple infrared radiation.

Could we safely do that with people?

I found a Reddit thread where a non-lethal weapon and people getting eye damage because they stayed too long in front of a radar dish.

Could some sort of device be made that would warm specific areas (say, a hand or a leg) without endangering sensitive areas like the eyes?

Would it actually warm someone up from the inside? Would it be possible to make it safe?

Would it present advantages in cases of hypothermia, compared to heated IV fluids?

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[-] spittingimage@lemmy.world 78 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I once did three weeks of IT work in a forensic pathology lab.

Spoilered for disturbing detailsThey had a microwave - a regular microwave oven designed for use in the kitchen. They used it for degloving hands. That means they put the severed hand in the microwave and heated it until the fatty layer under the skin softened. That way the skin could be slid off mostly intact.

I absolutely would not do this to a living person. It doesn't seem healthy.

[-] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 52 points 2 months ago

Welp, that's enough internet for today. Imma head out.

[-] The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world 30 points 2 months ago

I'm choosing not to open the spoiler tag because of this comment. Thanks for taking one for the team.

[-] bhamlin@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago

Lucky you; spoiler tag was broken when I got to it. I have seen a thing I wish to unsee.

[-] PlasticExistence@lemmy.world 16 points 2 months ago

Well your loss, my friend! That was a heartwarming anecdote about coworkers coming together to support each other in hard times and how their their microwave enabled that. I don't know why it was hidden.

[-] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

The story itself was already amazing without Paul Rudd happening to be there at just the right time. I love that guy!

[-] Shard@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Today is not a good day for the literate

[-] Uli@sopuli.xyz 10 points 2 months ago

Copy that, see you later. Anyway, here's some more internet for you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hBRxwQXmCQ

[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago

Thanks, that was a great watch.

[-] nis@feddit.dk 12 points 2 months ago

I'm gonna quote Ryan Reynolds here: "But why?"

[-] spittingimage@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

I didn't ask about that part.

They also use the exact same brand of cheese slice I do...

spoilerfor taking samples of brain to look at under the microscope.

[-] EmoDuck@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 months ago

How else do you think gloves are made?

[-] bane_killgrind@slrpnk.net 8 points 2 months ago

What if I wanna undress

[-] spittingimage@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

Find another way.

this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2024
71 points (100.0% liked)

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