Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-19
Better
Health
Patting c hoking Victim on
Back Can Be Harmful
By LOGAN CLENDENING. NJ. d.

By LOGAN CLENDENING. NJ. ID.
WE discussed yesterday the
w marvellous mechanism Of the
body in performing the act Of
swallowing how the bolus of
food that is ready 10 be swal-
lowed is thrust by the muscles
Of the tongue into the pharynx,
how simultaneously the wind
pipe is shut off by the contrac-
ton of the vocal cords with the
epiglottis coming down over
them to seal things tight, the
nose is shut off by the muscles
Of the soft palate, and the mus
cles of the pharynx shoot the
bolus into the grasp OF the
eSophaguS and it is carried TO
the stomach.
The whole act takes only a
second and a half in the case OF
fluid and about four seconds in
the case of solid food.
Sometimes this mechanism
goes wrong. The eommonest in
stance which happens to all of
us is that the epiglottis doesn't
cover the vocal cords and part
of the food gets into the voice
box or even into the windpipe.
This results in the well-known
mealtime choking spell.
The accepted method of treat
ment is to pat the sufferer on
the back. The function of this
is 10 reinforce an expulsive
cough which will bring the Of
Tending particle up.
DOES NOT HELP
It usually does more harm
than good. and when coughing
has been succeeded by spasm of
the vocal cords and the air is
drawn in only with difficulty,
let the situation severely alone.
The victim often thinks he is
going 10 suffocate, but just as
exhaustion occurs, the vocal
cords relax even in the most
severe case and normal breath
ing is restored.
Inspiration past the vocal
cords into the windpipe may re-
suit in bronchitis; particularly
irritating form Of this is the in
spiration of wisps of peanut
shell or peanut skin. which is
very serious accident.
Another form of swallowing
difficulty is when, due to paral-
ysis of the soft palate, food
comes out through the nose.
This occurs in cleft palate and
sometimes after diphtheria and
infantile paralysis.
Difficulty or pain in swallow
ing is a regular symptom in any
spasm or obstruction in the
esophagus.
Some people have a shorter
esophagus than others and the
stomach lies partly above the
d aphrag The x-ray has
showed us that this condition is
not uncommon.
In such instances there is a
feeling of fullness after only a
few swallows of food, feeling
as if the food had not reached
the Stomach--which is exactly
what has happened.
A little hiccup brings part OF
the food back into the mouth.
A similar condition Is caused by
spasm of the end of the esopha-
gus-cardiospasm-and then the
food remains in the esophagus
without entering the stomach
for some time.
All of these conditions and
many others associated with the
symptom of difficulty of swal-
lowing can be diagnosed by the
x-ray and corrected by modern
methods of treatment.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
M. c. C.-"Is it possible for
an object taken in the mouth
and swallowed to settle in the
lung? If so, please explain the
course which it would take to
settle in the lung"
Answer-Foreign bodies in
the mouth frequently are in
spired past the vocal cords into
the lungs. Strictly speaking,
they are not swallowed, although
the patient may think they are
swallowed. If an object is ac-
tually swallowed into the stom-
ach, it does not land in the lung.
49, vkn~1u1Al