352 RESPIRATION 



inch). The operations were successful, and these remarkable 

 dives are described in a paper by Assistant Surgeon French, 

 U. S. N., who was one of the medical officers in immediate 

 charge.^ 



Eleven dives were made to depths of from 306 to 270 feet, the 

 time on the bottom being usually about 20 minutes. The stage 

 decompression, which was shortened as a recompression chamber 

 was always ready, occupied about no minutes. When everything 

 went according to plan, as turned out in eight of the dives, there 

 were no symptoms except in one case. One of the divers, however, 

 got foul at a depth of 250 feet and was delayed there about three 

 hours before he could be liberated. When he was freed he came 

 up beyond the proper stopping places, disregarding the telephoned 

 orders. Possibly he was partly stupified by the prolonged action 

 of the high pressure of oxygen. At forty feet from surface he 

 collapsed. This was about 40 minutes after starting the ascent. 

 He was then pulled up to surface, where he was still able to 

 say a few words before becoming unconscious. His dress was 

 quickly ripped off and he was hurried into the recompression 

 chamber along with the two doctors and the other diver who had 

 rescued him. By this time he was black in the face, his breathing 

 had ceased, and no pulse could be felt at the wrist, x^rtificial res- 

 piration was at once applied, and at the same time the pressure 

 was run up to 75 lbs. in 3j4 minutes, which ruptured both the 

 eardrums of one of the doctors. As 75 lbs. pressure was reached 

 the patient suddenly recovered and sat up, feeling all right again. 

 He was then gradually decompressed to 20 lbs. in about ij4 

 hours, but at this point severe pain developed, so that the pressure 

 had to be raised again. For the next five hours many attempts at 

 decompression below 20 pounds had to be given up. At last he 

 was very gradually decompressed in about 3 hours in spite of the 

 pain. Soon after being taken from the chamber he was in a very 

 precarious condition, with the pulse no longer palpable. In spite 

 of haematuria, almost complete suppression of urine, extreme 

 pain, and other threatening symptoms, he recovered gradually; 

 and when it was possible to examine his lungs he was found to 

 have double broncho-pneumonia, the result, presumably, of the 

 very high oxygen pressure, as will be explained below. In a few 

 weeks he had completely recovered. 



This case shows clearly the efficacy of recompression even under 



"French, U. S. Naval Medical Bulletin, p. 74, January, 19 16. 



