Down the Rabbit Hole
After finding and writing the previous post, I found another article written about Fred H. Grattan that was a lot more in depth and just a classic example of writing at the time. It also led me down a rabbit hole of sorts. But first, here is the article:
What caught my eye was the mention of the (sic) Drageger Pulmotor. A quick search shows that it is actually the Drager Pulmotor and was pretty revolutionary at the time and Fred was the first person who wasn't revived by it though I am assuming that is a very local reference.
Here is a Wikipedia entry on it.
The wiki article mentions that these devices were troublesome because they couldn't detect blockages of the airway, a problem that Fred evidently had according to the article.
None the less, they were heavily advertised in period newspapers of the time. Too bad it didn't save Fred, but then again, had it saved Fred, I wouldn't be in contact with the branch of my family tree that I wrote about in the last post. A real rabbit hole for sure.
Poor Fred! On the other hand, this newspaper article was pretty much da bomb! Of course this was before all the other media we're bombarded with daily, but my God the drama that unfolded here--today's news is written for Vulcans or robots! Enjoyed reading about the "Pulmotor" too, and geez the minute I saw that address for the contraption (here in Pittsburgh) I know exactly where that location is. I worked just a couple blocks further from that location for several years! Nice piece, Ed :)
ReplyDeleteThat escaped my attention! Thanks for pointing that out. Maybe in the dark corners of that building's basement you might find some antique pulmotors to shine up and put in your house as a conversation starter. You could segue into how a distant relative of an online acquaintance needed one back in the day.
DeleteHaha--that would be cool Ed, but at my age it might come in handy too :^)
DeleteToday's new might be an emotional fit for Vulcans, but I'm not sure how their logic would handle it...
DeleteWhat a sad story but a great device that possible helped some people:)
ReplyDeleteAnd a good reminder of just how far we've come in this century.
DeleteA sad story, to be sure, but what a way to report it! They just don't print the news like that anymore.
ReplyDeleteThey sure don't!
DeleteWhat a contraption!
ReplyDeleteI hope my life never depends on such a device working!
DeleteWhat a sad story and an interesting machine. The way the newspaper describe the emotions of his wife and child are classic back then, but certainly not necessary.
ReplyDeleteYes, these days it would be considered invasion of privacy and probably subject to a lawsuit.
DeleteI love learning about new devices and finding out how creative they were back then. Newspaper articles went into so much more detail in the past and the stories were actually fun to read.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading the theater in them.
DeleteNewspapers were much more interesting back then. Written by people who knew people and on a level that made it all the more human.
ReplyDeleteOr at least written by people who weren't under the constant threat of lawsuit for slander or defaming of character.
DeleteWhat a somewhat macabre delightful slice of journalism gone by. As others have said, the paper is not nearly as engaging anymore.
ReplyDeleteOnly the facts now and only those facts that can be sourced two different ways.
DeleteThey didn't teach us about that device in nursing school! Not too sure what to think of it. I don't reckon too many people had one handy.
ReplyDeleteUnless I miss my guess, you are nowhere near old enough for this device to have even been around when you were in nursing school. It was probably in the museum even then!
DeleteWhoa. The Pulmotor sounds like it could be a Marvel character. And they certainly don't write like that anymore. Take care and have a great rest of your week, Ed.
ReplyDeleteA marvel character that can suck the oxygen out of any room!
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