Cold is the single most important enemy of life, and this book, first
published in 1985, discusses the responses of living organisms to low
temperatures. Subfreezing temperatures in particular affect the
properties of water, which is essential to life, and the book describes
the physics and chemistry of water in the context of physiology. Injury
from cooling and the way in which organisms respond and survive, as well
as the mechanism of cold hardening in micro-organisms, insects and
plants are discussed. The laboratory exploitation of low temperatures to
preserve life and to protect labile materials against freeze damage is
also considered.