In case of serious illness or injury during the course of a mission — which 

 eventualities never materialized--a doctor was to dive to the habitat to 

 supervise handling of the emergency. Thus the insistence on the diving 

 proficiency of all doctors associated with the project, which is discussed 

 hereafter. 



Supervision of Decompression 



The closest possible medical scrutiny was maintained throughout the 21-hour 

 decompression. Because of the suspected bubble formation in one subject's 

 eye during the decompression following Mission 1-50, ophthalmoscopic 

 examination was made in the Deck Decompression Chamber in all subsequent 

 missions. In one or two instances, more intensive medication (e.g., peni- 

 cillin, which was not used in the habitat) for treatment of stubborn lesions 

 was begun in the chamber. 



Details of the course of decompression and the sequence of breathing mixtures 

 used are discussed later in this section. The two schedules used in the 50-ft 

 missions are shown in Appendices A and B. 



Postdive Examinations 



Immediately following their emergence from the DDC, the aquanauts were given a 

 physical examination identical to the one undergone prior to the mission. 

 These examinations were conducted at the base-camp dispensary, and special 

 emphasis was once again placed on ophthalmic evaluation, which was always 

 performed by a doctor with special training in ophthalmology. Blood was also 

 drawn for blood-chemistry and hematology tests, and a complete on-site blood 

 count was made. 



No follow-up examinations were routinely made of the TEKTITE subjects after 

 the one performed immediately postdecompression. In two instances, however, 

 later evaluation was deemed advisable: a knee X-ray of the female aquanaut who 

 had suffered a mild attack of knee bends during decompression; and chest X-rays 

 of another aquanaut who had experienced upper respiratory difficulties during 

 both his mission and decompression, and who had reported subjective symptoms 

 lasting some days thereafter. The results of all these X-rays were negative. 



Training 



The physicians volunteering for service in the TEKTITE II medical program 

 obviously did so because of their particular interest in undersea medicine. 

 As part of their on-site training, therefore, a course consisting of instruc- 

 tion in underwater physiology and practice sessions in the water was designed 

 by the Marine Biomedical Institute and conducted by its diving officer, 

 Dennis Bowman. Through the provision of diving instruction, the necessary 

 gear, and a series of six formal lectures (lasting about one hour each), the 

 MBI hoped that each physician would become proficient enough in scuba diving 

 to qualify for certification by the Professional Association of Diving 

 Instructors, a certification that Mr. Bowman was authorized by the association 

 to grant to those applicants who met its diving criteria and had taken the 

 coursework. 



IX-7 



