Description of a simple and efficient method of performing artificial respiration in the human subject especially in cases of drowning / by E. A. Shafer.

  • Sharpey-Schäfer, E. A. (Edward Albert), Sir, 1850-1935.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Description of a simple and efficient method of performing artificial respiration in the human subject especially in cases of drowning / by E. A. Shafer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    physiological gromids; to be preferred to a traction method —apart altogether from the greater simplicity of mani- pulation. Further^ for the reasons above given, the prone position is to be preferred to the supine, especially in cases of drowning. The method about to be described presents noue of the disadvantages which have been enumerated in considering the older methods. It is safe, efficient, and involves a minimum amount of labour on the part of the operator. It consists in laying the subject in the prone posture, preferably on the ground, with a thick folded garment underneath the chest and epigastrium The operator puts himself in a position athwart or at the side of the subject, facing his head and kneeling upon one or both knees, and places his hands on each side over the lower part of the back (lowest ribs). He then slowly throws the weight of his body forward to bear upon his own arms, aud thus presses upon the thorax of the subject and forces air out of the lungs. This being effected, he gradually relaxes the pressure by bringing his own body up again to a more erect position, but with- out moving the hands : as he does this, air is drawn, by the removal of pressure from the chest Avails and by their elastic reaction, into the lungs. This process is repeated quite regularly and Avithout manifest interAmls betAveen the movements not less often than tAvelve times a minute : it may be done someAvhat more rapidly, but fifteen times a minute Avould, in any case, be sufficient. By this means it is easily possible in an average man to effect an ex- change of fully 6500 cubic centimetres per minute ’— an amount Avhich is more than enough to maintain complete aeration of the blood. The advantages of this method may be thus enume- rated : 1 The data upon which this statement is made are given in a paper by the author presented to the Koyal Society of Edinburgh, and published in the ‘Proceedings’ for 1903. The other methods all yielded far smaller results.