[frossie]

Many years ago (early 90s?) I looked into a job in Antarctica. The job stipulated that you had to preventatively remove your appendix prior to your tour of duty to avoid exactly this situation. I believe they also wanted you to replace your dental fillings (replacing the metal with a composite substance) to avoid problems caused by the cold (I assume).

It was all rather irrelevant to me in the end since I discovered that at the time the British Antarctic Society did not accept women (I believe this has since changed).

[quizbiz]

I just want to point out that based on personal experience last week, preventative surgery to remove your appendix is no longer preformed.

[jhgfgbhn]

They do have women now - I don't know what they remove as a precaution !

(Since 1996 they grudgingly allowed 2 women at the base - while releasing lots of PR about how go ahead they were for promoting women in this way!)

[aarongough]

The peace corp require the same thing. I believe they also require you have your wisdom teeth taken out...

I guess prevention is the best defense!