Remembering Poliomyelitis And The Iron Lung Era

Unless you are fifty years old or more, it is unlikely you will recall, first hand, the days of the dreaded Poliomyelitis (normally called polio or infantile paralysis).

No one knows just how long Polio has been around although scientists believe that it may have been so for several thousand years but confined to endemic proportions. There are ancient Egyptian drawings which shows some with an obviously degenerative, or withered limb much the same as polio often leaves it's victims

It was first recognized as a distinct illness in 1840 by a fellow named Jakob Heine. The resultant symptoms of this disease are so varied, it is easily understood that it could not easily be isolated as having one specific cause. And the cause for it (poliovirus) was not identified until 1908 by Karl Landsteiner. But polio was most baffling to doctors because of the fact that many had the disease and never had any symptoms nor were left with any debility. Others showed only mild symptoms of fever and other symptoms similar to those of influenza. No doubt there have been millions of such cases that were never recognized as being from the poliovirus.

Only less than five percent of those who contracted the virus were stricken by some type of paralysis. This depended upon what part of the nervous system was involved. If the spine was infected, it often caused one or both legs to be paralyzed and withered. Severity also varied a lot. Some limbs were permanently destroyed while others sometimes were almost restored. I have a close friend who suffered this problem which caused him to have extreme difficulties as a youngster. Now that he has grown older, he still walks with a noticeable limp with one foot turned sideways somewhat, but is only slightly hindered in his movements.

Those who suffered the very mild types recovered and had no lasting effects. But the most feared are those cases where the cranial nerves become infected and if the phrenic nerves are affected, can cause paralysis of the muscles controplling the diaphragm. This causes the patient to be unable to breathe on his own and requires some type of ventilator assistance.

Phillip Drinker and Louis Agassiz Shaw, of the Harvard School of Public Health, invented a mechanical machine to assist a human whose breathing was seriously impaired. Their intent was help those men who had suffered serious problems from coal gas poisoning. A metal round tubular case which compressed the patient's chest area, forcing the expelling of air in his lungs, then releasing the pressure, allowing outside pressure to re-enter the lungs. This was called an "iron lung".

Polio began to increase dramatically throughout the world from the latter half of the 19^th century until the middle of the 20^th century. The first iron lung was used on a child who was unconscious from respiratory failure in 1928 at the Boston Children's Hospital. It's success there was so quick and thorough, work began on building more of them and improving them also.

Epidemics of polio broke out in the 1930's, 40's and early 50's causing entire sections of some hospitals to be filled with iron lungs. The iron lungs were responsible for saving many children's, as well as adult's, lives during this tense era. Polio can, and did, strike adults as well as children, but was far more likely to infect the very young. The photo at right shows a ward in the Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in California, 1935.

Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine that actually worked in 1952 and heavy production began. It was administered via syringe needle. Many parents were afraid to have their children vaccinated but were even more afraid not to do so. Then a decade later, 1962, Dr. Albert Sabin created a new vaccine that could be administered orally. With widespread vaccination, polio dropped dramatically and swiftly. It is not eradicated but is quite rare.

Much has changed in this past half century, Polio is almost unheard of in this country. The iron lung has mainly been replaced in hospitals by the newer procedure of forcing air into the lungs, rather than out of them, by the "ventilator" system which allows doctors and nurses better access to the patient for examining, handling, cleaning, giving medication, etc. They are still available though and are preferred in some cases. They are less invasive to the patient and much more comfortable. Their main disadvantage is having to remove, or partially remove, the patient for those means of treatment listed above.



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» left by Susan Thom

3 years 8 days ago.
175 fans.

hi joel,

 

very interesting. i've heard about iron lungs, growing up, but i've never seen one. you must have so many memories, of all kinds of things.

 

it's interesting reading about them,

 

my best to you,

 

sue

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» left by Joel Hendon 3 years 8 days ago.
125 fans.

Thank you Susan for reading and your remarks. Yes, one does accumulate a lot of memories, some good, many bad. Sometimes when you get my age, about all that is left is your wife and kids (Thank God) and your memories.

 

And, no, many of the younger people do not know just how bad Polio became. Mothers had a constant dread, and every little running nose, or anything, frightened them. I knew several people who were struck by it, most with no lasting results, but the one little boy whom I mentioned. And then, just as the new vaccine hit the market, we new a grown man who contracted it and died! So pitiful, that he didn't get the opportunity for immunity.

 

Thanks again Susan, and God bless you.

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