The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1912-06-29
HOW TO AVERT DROWNING
so.caIled Cramps Nothing More than Waite r
Choke, Says Doctor.
Aboye nll keep YOUR head


10 your condition.
Remember, hundreds of swimmers
loss their lives annually because they
do not understand the danger of their
position.
Swimmers drown from water choke
not from cramps.
To relieve the attack take the swim
mer 10 shore and keep his head and
body down, thus relieving the choke.
Swimmers drown from water choke Z.
cramps can save themselves If theyV
understand the nature Of the attack and
how 10 overcome il. according 10 Benn
p Churchill. who is a practiciug ply
stefan at Milwaukee and who has de-
voted years OF stndy TO this subject.
DIR. Churchill maintains that swim
mer does not drown from cramps as is
generally believed. but from water
choke which closes the respitory organs
and makes il impossible for the swim.
mer to make known his condition. as
he does not realize il until ii is too
late
! The water choke DIR. Churchill saws,
is caused by he water getting between
the true and false vocal cords, causing
them to come together thus closing the
air passages completely
Swimmers when they get in this con
dition make desperate efforts TO save
themselves, but can 20 but few feet
before they sink.
1.-The swimmer does mot realize how
powerless be is TO combat with this
condition in the water, says DR..
Churchill and this is what causes
him to drown. If he could realize ii,
he would use the little strength re-
manning in him to attract the attention
of others to his condition thus enabling
them to save him.
There is nothing so little under
stood by the people at large as that
condition which suddenly overtakes
swimmer and causes him TO sink with
out warming.
For hundreds OF years these hitherto
unaccountable drowning accidents have
been ascribed 10 cramps and no
scientific attempt seems 10 have been
made 10 discover the real cause.
In the first place. every known fact or
medical science stands against this
'cramp' idea and explanation.
"Now. what are the symptomsG
From my own observation, the
swimmer merely sinks. disappears or
is mist. He does not call out. II
cramps were the cause. then il is
cramp that affects the entire muscular
system. including the muscles OF res
piration for II is true that any good
swimmer could save himself with one
limb alone were il free from cramp.
Such condition of complete cramp is
, impossible in the human body except
under the influence Ct a powerful
poison This brings us 10 the real ex-
PLANTATION OF this condition.
Medical science describes for MS a
small space or pocket between the true
and false vocal cords.
These cords are four in number, two on
either side OF the air passage, and, when
they are. brought together they form the
pocket mentioned This space is lined
{ by membrane many times more SEN
: sitive than the eye. The presence of
the smallest particle Of foreign sub
stance other than air in this space will
by reflex action, cause the cords 10
; come together, closing the cavity and
/ air passage completely.
, Now. swimmer Is not in his nat.
: ural element, and il ever so little water
r enters this sensitive space il will close
' absolutely, shutting off the air and
. making it impossible for the victim to
: call for help He will.exhaust all his
energy and last efforts TO swim TO
safety, i'm manner that will appear
. 20 spectator as very natural, and
/ they seem TO take dive. There Is
/ nothing about the occurance 20 arouse
suspicion owing to the fact THAI the
public generally Is ignorant Of the only
Q real danger besetting swimmer
? These cases are difficult to resusuitate
.. because the victim is nearly drowned
when he sinks and IL takes time after
that 10 discover there is something
wrong, il discovered at all.
1T il not an astonishing fact that a
swimmer never gets cramps in shall
low waterY This for the very simple
I reason that In shallow water the victim
can assume a position with the head
downward and forward OF course, he
, will choke and become cyanosed turn
. blue). but this condition OF the blood
, has the power to relax the upper cords
4 when the position is upright. like a
7 swimmer or the lower cords will re-
I lax IL the head is downward. The
! water escapes in the one on land. IL