The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-28
SOME VERY COSTLY BREArHrNG.
IL Cost Francis RrichIing $500 "a Day
10 supply His Lungs the Last " eek
Of His Life.

j
/ Air IS supposed to be The one thing i'm this
/ world that is absolutely without price, but
/ Francis Reichling. who died in Oakland
/ last week. paid 500 day for simple or
/ during the last week of his life.
The case Of Francis ReichliHg was one
I OF the most unusual that is known 10 med
I zeal science Not only was the treatment
novel but the magnitude Of the treatment
/ has made It case OF record Inc
/ treatment Of certain sicknesscs by oXy-
/ gen Is advocated by quite number OF pny-
Siclans, but to attempt TO keep a man alive
I for q week by simply furnishing oxygen
I IN slch quantities that the arttlcial al
ministratiou Of the gas produced the effect
| upon the blood and the body that II pro-
duced by ordinary breathing, constitutes
| the unusual feature OF the case Of Mr..
/ Reichling.
Mr.. Reclining was a very wealthy mine
owner, who had resided quietly in Hayes
canyon, back Of Piedmont for a number
OF years He built magnificent residence
in that section, and spent greater part
| OF his time working in and about his gar
! den, for he was great lover OF mowers
lie diverted a little mountain stream into
and through his grounds, and from work
ing around this he developed VERY Sc
rious case of malaria. Almost Immediately
there developed case Of congestion or the
brain that amounted almost TO apopleNy,
and pneumonia set in and Ealvular dis
ease Of the heart developed. The two lat
ter ailments were the ones that proved
nearly fatal from the outset.
ling's lungs. and with all Of the accumu-
lated troubles il was found that he could
not tnhale sufficient air TO maintain llfe
DR.. II. Z. Muller had been called to attend
the dying man, and he said that hope was
very slight indeed. Mr.. Reichling was
barely conscious, but he expressed de-
sire to see his son Albert, who was then
on his way to Mexico, on pleasure trip
The boy was telegraphed for and the ia
Their wanted so much to see him that the
physician determined to prOlong life as
a si " O.
nothing to 90 but to furnish an arulclal
amount of air to do the work that the de-
creased lung surface was not abe 10 40,
oxygen being the essential principle that
was needed.
DR.. Muller decided to furnish this to his
patient in quantities shat would more
than make up fer the loss of air that his
diseased lungs could not absorb.
DR.. Muller decided on the artificial adj
nuns tIttloR OF oNyseh WniCn p eIlOi l lilSu
the part of concentrated air, upon sat
urday afternoon, and he Immediately
sent for 100 gallons of oxygen. This was
furnished in a large tank. From this was
run "A long tube. with mouthpiece at
one end and a stop-C0ck at the mouth of
the tube and at the mouth OF the tank.
This very simple apparatus was all that
was necessary in this very complicated
case, though it required close attention.
The mOuthpiece was placed over the dy-
ing mans mouth and he was allowed
to inhale the oxygen whenever the indi-
cations We're that his breath was getting
short
during the irSL QlGNl OF lue trial OF Ale
oxygen treatment and the artificial adj
ministratiOn of breath the entire 100 gal
Ions OF oxygen was consumed. me pa
tient was found to be alive ana quite
comfortable Sunday under the very COM
plicated condition of his health. Young
Reichling had been heard from and was
tion with DIR =. II. Woolsey. it was de-
cided to continue the oxygen treatment
TO the very last degree.
Oxygen was sent for in large quantities,
SUNDAY RelClI1nU absorbed
gallons of oxygen in the effort to sustain
life until his son could arrive,
The result of the administration or this
enormous amount of oxygen was quite
apparent, for on. Monday there was
marked Improvement and, from hoping
merely to prolong life until the son could
arrive, hopes for his ultimate recovery
were entertained, sun more oxygen was
given, on Monday, and Mr.. Reichling con-
sumed 800 gallons on that day.
1t was found that the administration CT
the oxygen was gradually reducing the
pneumonia and was relieving the heart
trouble. and the gas was given him in the
greatest quantities that II was found that
he needed. On Tuesday he was given GOO
gallons, on Wednesday 400 gallons, on
Thursday 800 gallons. on Friday 200 gal-
Ions and on Saturday, the day of his
death, 300 gallons were given him, making
5000 gallons in all
ing the treatment, and that was the first
Sunday, when, in changing the tubing
from one tank to another II became
y
get it adjusted. In the meantime an at
tack of heart failure set in. and the pa
tent was nearly dead when Dr. Muller
arrived and fixed the apparatus and re-
leved him with the oxygen once more.
ON Tuesday the son arrived, and Mr.
Reichling was So that he recognized him.
though he could not speak. This was
what DR. Muller had been fighting off
death for. but when 1t was accomplished
he determined to try and save his patient
in spite of the complications of the dis
eases. The oxygen treatment had been
so successful that he continued it, though
the amount given was reduced with the
reduction of the pneumonia, which was
slowly but surely yielding. The artificial
administration of the essential extract
OF air was doing more than even DR.. Null
Ter had hoped for.
on Thursday Mr. Reichling was able to
recognize all of his family, and on that
day his allowance was reduced to 800
gallons.
But Friday night brought a great
change. The pneumonia and heart fail-
ure We're yielding gradually, but suddenly
paralysis set in, and stroke OF apopleXy
added itself to the many different troubles
that Mr.. Reichling was battling against
for life. The apoplexy was the cause of
his death, and after a struggle for an en-
tire week with death, in which an artiti-
cial air supply was brought into use,
new complication carried him off.
Il believe that Mr.. Reichling would have
recovered under the oxygen treatment had
it not been for the apoplexy," said DR..
| Muller. The oxygen treatment where
such quantities are administered is not
common, though oxygen is used in some
cases with great success. The gas was Civ
en- the patient at intervals of from 10 to
j. minutes. and he was allowed from 20 to
p respirations. The peculiar features of
Mr.. Reichling's case were the great guam
titles of gas given, and the stubborn fight
against death that he made, when any one
of the diseases that he had might have
caused death alone"
Inquiry among the local hospitals devel-
oped the fact that pura oxygen in tanks
forms a regular part OF the equipment OF
all modern hospitals. 1t is only of recent
years that the wonderful value of the
health-g giving gas in emergency cases has
been thoroughly demonstrated. Oxygen,
in copper or galvanized iron reservoirs,
holding 800 or 1000 gallons is now furnish
ed by all medical supply dealers, and it is
common thing for a. hospital surgeon to
go to the telephone, ring up a. dealer, and
order a thankful of the resuscitating gas.
In cases of coal-gas asphyxiation the
prompt use of oxygen is invaluable Thou
sands of lives are saved annually by the
prompt use of this remedy. In former
years the usual treatment for gas asphyx-
iation was that given to revive nearly
drowned Notwithstanding respiration by