Increased Pressure 1031 



librium cock. But now appears the serious disadvantage, the dan- 

 ger even, of the chilling that accompanies the expansion of the air, 

 with the condensation of moisture which is the result of it. To 

 ward it off, one must not only give the workman warm and dry 

 clothing, but also place in the decompression chamber heating 

 cylinders, with double hollow walls, through which pass jets of 

 steam, and which the workman can clasp, and against which he 

 can lean. I think that very simple and inexpensive arrangements 

 could settle the problem. 



Besides, two chambers of decompression might be arranged, 

 both of them heated, so that one would pass, for example, from a 

 chamber of 3 atmospheres to one of 2, to stay there for a quarter of 

 an hour at the most and then go into the outside air; these double 

 "locks" would delay the service less. 



The longer the workmen remain in the caissons, the more 

 slowly they should undergo decompression, for they must not only 

 allow time for the nitrogen of the bloocl to escape, but also allow 

 the nitrogen of the tissues time to pass into the blood. And as 

 this last point is the most difficult to obtain, the workmen must 

 not be given too long shifts of work, and must not be allowed to 

 enter the caissons more than once a day. 



As for divers in suits, as they cannot be warmed, it would 

 perhaps be difficult to bring about the decompression for them 

 slowly by means of some mechanical and graduated windlass. But 

 nevertheless, when they return from great depths, 30 meters for 

 example, it is absolutely necessary either to bring them up on 

 some seat which allows them to be kept a good quarter of an hour 

 halfway up, or compel them to wait for a sufficient time in some 

 shallow place, when there is one within their working radius. 



If, then, in spite of these different precautions, an accident 

 occurs, what is to be done? My researches have already answered 

 for us (Chapter VII, Subchapter IV) . If auscultation indicates 

 some gaseous gurgling in the region of the heart, immediately make 

 the patient inhale oxygen as pure as possible, which should always 

 be at hand in a rubber balloon, or better, compressed in quantity 

 in some steel reservoir. Then, when the gases have disappeared 

 from the heart, and death no longer seems imminent, subject the 

 patient immediately to a pressure greater than that from which 

 he came, then make the decompression very slowly. Furthermore, 

 when the pressure reaches 4 atmospheres, they should inhale oxy- 

 gen, especially divers, immediately after return to open air, without 

 awaiting the appearance of any symptom. When the decompres- 



