Iron Lung


Title
Iron Lung
Description
The iron lung works by enclosing the patient's body in the airtight metal chamber. The patient's head rested outside on a pillowed head rest. By decreasing the air pressure inside the iron lung, the weight of the atmosphere outside the chamber forced air through the nose and mouth into the lungs. The iron lung, invented in 1929 by Phillip Drinker (1893-1977), a professor at the School of Public Health of Harvard University, helped keep many polio virus patients alive who could not otherwise breathe without assistance.
Date
1940-1959
Original Format
equipment
Extent
Local Identifier
Country Doctor Museum
Subject(s)
Spatial
Location of Original
Country Doctor Museum
Rights
This item has been made available by The Country Doctor Museum for use in research, teaching, and private study. Researchers are responsible for using these materials in accordance with Title 17 of the United States Code and any other applicable statutes. For information regarding reproduction, please contact The Country Doctor Museum at hslcdm@ecu.edu;
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Permalink
https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/13877
Preferred Citation
Cite this item
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