The Influence of Increased Barometric Pressure on Man. 443 



this latter group accidents are numerous. Lambert, the famous diver 

 employed by Messrs. Siebe and Gorman, salved £100,000 at a depth of about 

 160 feet. On each descent he passed about 20 minutes below, and about the 

 same time in ascending. On the last journey he stayed longer and became 

 affected on his return to the surface, permanently losing the power to 

 retain his urine. Lambert was the man who stopped the flooding of the 

 Severn Tunnel, going through the tunnel (dark and full of water) in a Fleuss 

 dress to a distance of a quarter of a mile from the shaft, and closing the 

 flood gates, which had been left open ; his courage deserves to be recalled. 

 Another diver, Erostabe, salved treasure from a depth of 171 feet, and yet 

 another, Eidyard, from 160 feet. These three divers of Messrs. Siebe and 

 Gorman hold the record for successful work carried out at great depths. Two 

 other divers of the same firm, in order to test a patent kind of diving 

 apparatus, descended to 189 and 192 feet respectively. One of these divers 

 (Walker) tells us he was about 50 minutes over the job, taking 30 minutes to 

 ascend. He ascribes his immunity from accident throughout his career as a 

 deep diver to his habit of slow ascent. The deepest dive on record is one of 

 204 feet ( + 88£ lbs. pressure); the diver who made this record died from the 

 effects of too rapidly mounting to the surface. 



In 1894, at Bordeaux, H. Hersent, (7) an engineer in charge of caisson 

 works, having first experimented on animals, found three workmen willing to 

 submit themselves to high pressures of air. These men were enclosed in a 

 steel chamber, and the experiments were conducted under the observation of 

 a commission composed of five members of the Bordeaux Faculty of Medicine. 

 Two of the workmen had had previous experience of compressed air. 



In one experiment the subject was compressed to +4 - 800 kilos, per square 

 centimetre ( + 68 - 27 lbs. per square inch) in 35 minutes, remained under 

 this pressure 1 hour, and was decompressed in 2 hours 3 minutes. On 

 quitting the chamber the man experienced a few " picotements," which lasted 

 for half-an-hour, but no other unfavourable symptoms. In a second 

 experiment, a pressure of +5'000 kilos. ( + 7L16 lbs. per square inch) was 

 attained, without any subsequent ill effects beyond a few " picotements." 



Finally, the same subject was compressed to +5 - 400 kilos. ( + 76*81 lbs. 

 per square inch) in 45 minutes, remained under the pressure 1 hour, and was 

 decompressed in 2 hours 25 minutes. The effects are recorded in these 

 words : " A ressenti peu de picotements, cela tient aux bains sulf ureux pris 

 les jours precedents." (8). 



Hersent's experiments justify his conclusion that " avec quelques precau- 

 tions en sus de celles qu'on prend ordinairement, les hommes peuvent etre 

 comprimes et decomprime's sans danger pour leur vie, et que meme leur 



