Sunday, August 12, 2012

Iron Lung

In the 1940's and 1950's Sioux City was especially hard hit with the polio epidemic. One of the therapies St. Vincent Hospital tried to help patients who suffered from the virus was with the use of an Emerson Respirator or iron lung. It was an early, crude and painful form of respiratory therapy to try and help those whose chest muscles were affected by the outbreak.

On display at the Sioux City Public Museum is this reminder of the devastating polio and what was done to try and help its victims:



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