Negative or positive? The iron lung and poliomyelitis-Zurich, 1951

Abstract

During the poliomyelitis epidemics of the last century hospitals were inundated with patients in acute respiratory failure. Between 1946 and 1949, Nandor (Ferdinand) Eichel documented the use of the iron lung in children with acute poliomyelitis at the University Children's Hospital, Zurich. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of the Iron lung and negative pressure respiratory support for this indication and to establish its role in the context of other existing therapies at the time. Eichel produced his review and data as the Inaugural Dissertation towards his medical degree from the the University of Zurich, published in 1951. The dissertation was written in German and first translated into English in 2014. The current paper explores the findings of the dissertation and explains why there has been the transition to techniques of respiratory support today. It includes a biography of Dr F. N. Eichel and an update on the current status of poliomyelitis. The original dissertation was found in the home of Nandor's son and was of great interest to the current authors, Nandor's granddaughter and her colleague.

Keywords: polio, iron lung, respiratory failure, ventilation, Nandor Eichel.