The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-12
THE RESPIRATION MACHINE

Schafer's prone pressure method of artificial respiration or resuscitation is recognized as the
 most effective in all cases of drown
 Ing, gassing, electric shock cessation seri- ous depression of breathing from any cause
 In some few communities poorly manned as to medical hospital service, they are still using anticipated pumotors or lung motors, usually ia the hands of well-meaning but uneducated fire
 men. policemen or life guards. Hamlets and backward towns have been stuck" with these spectacular machines and the fiscal authorities just have to scrap the gadgets now, incidentally the politicians reluct to pass up all the grand newspaper publicity the inficton of such ma chine on vcitim is sure to bring to all hands implicated in the atrocity
 It seems the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are growing up and getting big enough, physically about the proper method of resuscitation, and against these more intelligent citizens the high pressure salesmen for the dangerous breathing machines are not so successful.
 But there are two kinds of apparatus which deserve unqualified approval. provided they are used only by physicians or those with special training. First, the inhalator, mere rubber bag by means of which the patient, while receiving Schafers prone pressure resuscitation, may have | oxygen or air mixed with perhaps per cent of carbon dioxde, to inhae. Wherever and when ever such an inhalator is at hand it is a great help in the resuscitation. Every hospital worthy of the name should have inhalators ready for all emergency calls. Firemen and policemen should be compelled to keep their hands off all such treatment. It is not so much for the oxygen ad- ministered by the inhalator. but rather for the carbon dioXide, which is the natural stimulant to the respiration This effect of the inhalator makes it valuable agent in the treatment Of
  low enfcebled.
 The other apparatus which has proved of real value is the Drnker respirator which is a metal cabinet just large enough to accommodate the patients bdy. There is adjustable rubber da- phragm or collar so that the patients head re- mains outside the cabinet There is an electric motor which be regulated that the air pressure around the patients body within the | cabinet may be varied from slightly less than | natural atmospheric pressure to slightly more these rythmic variations of pressure to initiate and defiate the chest regularly as in na hoe fco1f particularly life-saving in cases of paralysis of the respiratory muscles. In such cases any other | known method of artificial respiration becomes in itself ordeal for both the patient and the attendants, after the first hour or two. By means or or the Drlnker apparatus many victims of ln1an- tile paralysis otherwise doomed to succumb may be saved A smaller size adapted for the estab- lishment of respiration in feeble or prematurely born infants is being used with happy results in various progressive hospitals The full size ap- paratus at present costs s2ooO; This is the in Vention of Philip Drinker, Oh. F., of the Harv- | ard School of Public Health, Boston.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Now the Textbooks Have It. Two medical textbooks I bought yesterday from one of the leading medical publishers con dcmn dathcrmy extirpation of the tonsils. (Dr l.. P.)
 Answer-Yes the textbooks are generally 0 years behind the times. The old fogy leaders in the profession have only recently ceased con- demning the modern method and tentatively ac- cepted it; in another year two they will be | embracing it the method of choice. We must remember that the medical publishers are in l name of some old timer of established reputation naturally sells better than q book by some un- known upstart.
 Don't Hold It Down
 Please give more complete explanation of belly breathing. As I understand it yOu directed that | lie on my back and nhale allowing the lower part of belly to expand and holding the upper part down some way, and then cXhalc aI- lowing the upper part to come up and holding the lower part down. CIR. T. Do
 Answer-No, mo- no; you've got it all balled up. That way you'd be almost in convu!sons and you'd have serious time getting yourself strengthened out. I give it up-I can't give a clearer description of natural breathing than attempted in the series of articles which appar- ently only confused you. You shouldn't hold any thing down in or out or up. You just breathe as a person sound asleep breathes. one un- der ether breathes. No effort or stranng at all Just restraint or inhibition, forget your chest, and let the belly function Remember belly is derived from word meaning bellows; and breathe through your open mouth when doing the bellows exercise
 Three Deaf Ladies Get Scasic1
 The count to date is three deaf ladies who sure me they suffer from seasckness whenever they travel on the sea. Do 1 hear second bid from a deaf who is subject to seasckness? If any deaf man who reads this can testify that he becomes seasick I'll be grateful for the in- formation. None of the three sisters. who have given their testimony offered any details about the extent, duration or of the deafness. It would be more instructive if knew whether the seasckness antedated the deafness.