Her recovery, which was rapid and essentially complete, is inconsistent with the literal freezing of vital organ cells.

If the cells of her heart had been frozen — if ice crystals had formed within the cardiac muscle cells — the heart would not have recovered its rhythm and function so readily.

If the cells of her brain had been frozen, she would not have been talking by noon.

The clinical observations that support the “frozen solid” description are real.

But what they reflect is severe surface freezing and extreme muscle rigidity, not confirmed freezing of the core organs.

This distinction is not meant to diminish what happened to Jean Hilliard.