Abstract

The relatively recent interest in the techniques of survival in hostile environments like desert, sea and ice has led to the development of two basic disciplines: survival for sport or experiment and survival in extreme conditions. During an expedition to the Suguta Valley Desert in East Africa, a research project was set up in order to investigate a series of factors relating to general conditions and to the main physiological parameters before and after the trials, the relationship between body and ambient temperatures, heart beat and blood pressure. The results, though naturally limited by the environmental difficulties encountered, showed an experimental adaptive capacity among the participants which confirms what is known about the mechanisms that regulate homeostasis even in extreme environmental conditions. Verf.-Referat