Paul Alexander: 'Man in the iron lung' dies at the age of 78
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68555051
The polio survivor known as "the man in the iron lung" has died at the age of 78.
"Paul Alexander contracted polio in 1952 when he was six, leaving him paralysed from the neck down.
The disease left him unable to breathe independently, leading doctors to place him in the metal cylinder, where he would spend the rest of his life."
"Advances in medicine made iron lungs obsolete by the 1960s, replaced by ventilators. But Alexander kept living in the cylinder because, he said, he was used to it.
He was recognised by Guinness World Records as the person who lived the longest in an iron lung."
Got a credit card? use our Credit Card & Finance Calculators
Thanks to GrahamPlatt,gpadsa,Steffers0,lansdown,Wasron, for Donating to support the site
Iron Lung man dies at 78
-
- The full Lemon
- Posts: 12636
- Joined: November 8th, 2016, 7:21 pm
- Been thanked: 2609 times
-
- Lemon Half
- Posts: 8453
- Joined: January 7th, 2017, 9:56 am
- Has thanked: 1552 times
- Been thanked: 3450 times
Re: Iron Lung man dies at 78
Wow! I put myself in his situation and can only wonder how he managed to keep his spirit up!
-
- The full Lemon
- Posts: 19106
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 3:58 pm
- Has thanked: 646 times
- Been thanked: 6780 times
Re: Iron Lung man dies at 78
monabri wrote:Wow! I put myself in his situation and can only wonder how he managed to keep his spirit up!
A cocktail of drugs might have helped. Something like this:
Brompton Cocktail: morphine or heroin, cocaine, gin and chlorpromazine (Thorazine).
At the hospital I worked at in the mid-1970s we served it with orange juice. It was popular.
-
- 2 Lemon pips
- Posts: 172
- Joined: November 14th, 2016, 11:05 am
- Has thanked: 99 times
- Been thanked: 44 times
-
- Lemon Slice
- Posts: 413
- Joined: November 9th, 2016, 1:59 pm
- Has thanked: 77 times
- Been thanked: 142 times
Re: Iron Lung man dies at 78
clissold345 wrote:Some more details of Paul Alexander's life:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-68627630
I had read that this morning before seeing your post.
I found it quite inspiring and it is nice to read news such as this as opposed to the constant barrage of negative stories around UK politics, general UK struggles, Ukraine, Gaza etc etc.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests