Editing Cryosurgery (section)

== History ==
In 1841, English physician James Arnott described therapeutic applications of extremely cold temperatures, namely a mixture of crushed ice and salt applied locally (to skin or [[mucous membrane]]). He theorized his technique was capable of "arresting the accompanying inflammation, and perhaps destroying the vitality of the cancer cell."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Arnott |first=James |date=7 Feb 1851 |title=Practical Illustrations of the Remedial Efficacy of a Very Low or Anæsthetic Temperature in Cancer |journal=West J Med Surg |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=154–160 |pmid=38209825}}</ref> His works were the first to hypothesize that extreme cold could be used to selectively damage or destroy harmful tissue.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bird |first=H. Marcus |date=1949 |title=James Arnott, M.D. (Aberdeen) 1797-1883: A Pioneer in Refrigeration Analgesia |url=https://associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2044.1949.tb05803.x |journal=Anaesthesia |volume=4 |pages=10-17}}</ref>