Philip Drinker (December 12, 1894 - October 19, 1972)He was born in Havefoed Pennsylvania. was an inventor of the iron lung, along with Louis Agassiz Shaw . He also devised a small chamber for maintaining respiration in newborn babies. When Philip Drinker was studying the hazard of exposure to lead and dust he developed the iron lung. In the 1940's-50's the iron lung saved a lot of people during the polio outbreaks. The people that were in the iron lung had polio. The iron lung is composted of a cylindrical steel drum, which incloses the entire body with only the head exposed. Today there is only 200 to 300 hundred iron lungs. The iron lung is a respirator, there were several problems with the iron lung such as food or vomit could be inhaled in to the lungs.
Historical Trends
During the 1940's and 1950's
polio was a common disease that mostly kids caught. The many kids that came down with
polio weren't very lucky because there weren't many cures.
Afterthought
Philip Drinker's
iron lung impacted the science field in many ways. It brought out new ideas for treating lung diseases. It also helped to make new and improved machines and ways to treat
polio and other lung diseases.
Impact it had on the field of science
Philip Drinker
Philip Drinker
