Iron lung
Maker and role
Siebe Gorman and Company Limited: Manufacturer
Production date
1930-1939
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Details
Description
Held by the Science Museum
Copyright: The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Copyright: The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
History
People infected with poliomyelitis (polio), unable to breathe on their own, had to rely on a respirator, known as an 'iron lung'.
Polio can kill the body's motor neurons, meaning that control of the muscles is lost. When the paralysed muscles include those of the respiratory system, death by suffocation could occur. In 1928, Philip Drinker and Louise Shaw developed the iron lung to save the lives of those left paralysed by polio and unable to breathe. Most patients would spend around two weeks in the device, but those left permanently paralysed faced a lifetime of confinement. Thanks to the development of an effective polio vaccine, very few iron lungs are in use today.
The black and white photograph shows a patient in an iron lung machine in 1930.
What is polio?
Polio is an infectious disease that largely affects young children. It was most active from the late-19th to the mid-20th centuries, with major epidemics in Europe and the United States. Most cases of polio show no or mild symptoms, but for those who develop muscle weakness and paralysis, the effects can be devastating or even fatal.
The development of the polio vaccine:
A breakthrough came in 1952 when Dr Jonas Salk (1914–1995) began to create the first effective vaccine against polio. In 1961, Albert Sabin (1906–1993) pioneered the more easily administered oral polio vaccine. Mass vaccination programmes followed, and cases of polio have become rare over time. Today, polio cases remain only in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
How is the Red Cross helping to eradicate polio?
The British Red Cross helps raise awareness around diseases as part of its work overseas. For example, in Sierra Leone, Red Cross health campaigns ensure children are immunised against diseases such as polio.
B/W photograph copyright: Wellcome Collection
Polio can kill the body's motor neurons, meaning that control of the muscles is lost. When the paralysed muscles include those of the respiratory system, death by suffocation could occur. In 1928, Philip Drinker and Louise Shaw developed the iron lung to save the lives of those left paralysed by polio and unable to breathe. Most patients would spend around two weeks in the device, but those left permanently paralysed faced a lifetime of confinement. Thanks to the development of an effective polio vaccine, very few iron lungs are in use today.
The black and white photograph shows a patient in an iron lung machine in 1930.
What is polio?
Polio is an infectious disease that largely affects young children. It was most active from the late-19th to the mid-20th centuries, with major epidemics in Europe and the United States. Most cases of polio show no or mild symptoms, but for those who develop muscle weakness and paralysis, the effects can be devastating or even fatal.
The development of the polio vaccine:
A breakthrough came in 1952 when Dr Jonas Salk (1914–1995) began to create the first effective vaccine against polio. In 1961, Albert Sabin (1906–1993) pioneered the more easily administered oral polio vaccine. Mass vaccination programmes followed, and cases of polio have become rare over time. Today, polio cases remain only in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
How is the Red Cross helping to eradicate polio?
The British Red Cross helps raise awareness around diseases as part of its work overseas. For example, in Sierra Leone, Red Cross health campaigns ensure children are immunised against diseases such as polio.
B/W photograph copyright: Wellcome Collection
Catalogue Number
150.52
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Object Types
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