SKIN 
 

July 2019     Volume 3 Issue 4 
 

Copyright 2019 The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine 283 

COMPELLING COMMENTS 
 

 

The Father of Modern Cryotherapy 
 
Caroline Crain, BS1,Jake Alan Gibbons, BSA1, Tyler Marion, B., MBA1 
 

1The University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine, Galveston, TX 
 

 
 
Cryotherapy, the destruction of living tissue 
through freezing, is extensively utilized in the 
modern practice of dermatology. Its use 
dates back to the mid nineteenth century by 
Dr. James Arnott of England. Born in 1797, 
Arnott is widely regarded as the father of 
cryotherapy.1 He used a solution of crushed 
ice and salt, reaching temperatures as low as 
-24°C, to freeze tumors in patients with 
advanced cancers.  This technique was 
useful in reducing tumor size, decreasing 
bleeding, and ameliorating pain.1 In his own 
words, Dr. Arnott described the significance 
of his work: “congelation arresting the 
accompanying inflammation, and destroying 
the vitality of the cancer cell, is not only 
calculated to prolong life for a great period, 
but may, not improbably, in the early stage of 
the disease, exert a curative action.”2 
 

Arnott designed his own cryotherapy device, 
which consisted of a cushion connected to 
two tubes that carried water from a reservoir 
containing the freezing salt solution. Dr. 
Arnott presented and won a medal for this 
device at the Great Exhibition of London in 
1851.3 In addition to treating tumors, Arnott 
also proposed that cryotherapy could be 
used to treat acne, neuralgia, and headaches 
due to the numbing effects of freezing 
temperatures. Additionally, Arnott suggested 
that the numbing effects of the cold should be 
further utilized to anesthetize skin prior to 
surgery.1 From Arnott’s early work, the 

practice of cryotherapy has blossomed into a 
staple in the practice of modern dermatology. 
Today, dermatologists use cryotherapy in the 
form of liquid nitrogen to treat cutaneous 
lesions. It has emerged as an inexpensive, 
safe, and easy way to treat skin lesions in a 
clinical setting. Furthermore, cryotherapy 
provides great cosmetic results which is a 
significant upside for the practicing 
dermatologist. 
 
Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None. 
 
Funding: None. 
 
Corresponding Author: 

Tyler Marion, B.S., M.B.A. 
The University of Texas Medical Branch, 
301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX 77555  
trmarion9@gmail.com  

References: 

1. Cooper SM, Dawber RPR. The history of 
cryosurgery. Journal of the Royal Society 
of Medicine. 2001; 94(4):196-201. 

2. Arnott J. Practical illustrations of the 
remedial efficacy of a very low or 
anesthetic temperature. I. In cancer. 
Lancet. 1850; 2:257–259. 

3. Bird H. James Arnott, MD (Aberdeen), 
1797-1883, a pioneer in refrigeration. 
Anaesthesia 1949; 4: 10-17.