One of my favorite drives in this state... the southern route to Breckenridge from Denver...
(If you come and visit from out of town, there is a good chance you'd see this for yourself with myself as your guide... I wish I had a convertible to make it more... wait, I DO have a convertible!)
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Saturday's entry was about foods on a stick. This morning's TVGuy Video Selection highlights all the things at the Minnesota State Fair that are available to be purchased on wooden rods... after viewing that, it's not hard to believe our nation is among the fattest on the planet....
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I was planning on chatting about television today.. but sometimes important social issues just cannot be brushed aside...
so today we'll talk about a topic that affects millions... er.. thousands...
umm.. well, actually it's about 12 people...
But I'm sorry... there aren't many blogs out there tackling this issue.. and dammit, I'm gonna do it....
yes, of course I'm speaking of...
Iron Lungs.
Oh, sure... you ask "What's an Iron Lung"?
An iron lung is a large machine that enables a person to breathe when normal muscle control has been lost or the work of breathing exceeds the person's ability. It is a form of medical ventilator. Properly, it is called a negative pressure ventilator.
It was huge during Polio days back in the 30s... but with the invention of the modern respirator, well... not a lot of folks use these things anymore... obviously...
But the ones that do certainly do seem to enjoy it!! Look how happy she is!
Weeeeeeeeee!!!!!
In fact, Iron Lungs were so much fun that users of the equipment would often gather and swap Respiratory Tales... here is a photo from one of the earliest Conventions... I think this was "Lung-O-Rama '41"....
actually, now that I look more closely, I'm pretty sure this was from "Lung-Fest Seattle" in 1942... my apologies...
In recent years, the Iron Lung has gone space age, with plastic instead of metal...
...because in today's image conscious culture, it's important to look great and be comfortable while non-invasive ventilator support is provided for you...
Remember when you were a kid and Mom had to buy you clothes that were a few sizes too big... because you'd "grow into them"...
not a problem for today's little "Lungster"... they are available in several sizes... as seen below...
Comfort, Affordability and Selection...that's Today's Iron Lung!
Sure, I know what you're thinking by now.... "Iron Lungs are great for me, but what about when my pets suffer from breathing issues??"
Not a problem...
In the following photo, "Gramps" and "Becky" are giving much needed ventilating efficiency to their pet gerbil, "Scampers"....
Or they're microwaving a bean burrito in 1967... or handling plutonium... kinda hard to tell in that picture to be honest...
In all of my "research" into the wondrous world of artificial Lungs my favorite sentence had to be this one...
"There are patients who still today use the older machines, often in their homes, despite the occasional difficulty in finding replacement parts."
Ya think? What, "Bob's Lung Shack" went out of business?
(Actually, there is an Iron Lung manufacturer here in Denver... I would imagine they might be the only one?? They call their product "PortaLung" however...)
Anyway, the Iron Lung had quite a place in Popular Culture as well...
Don't believe me? I'll prove it...
Remember the huge hit "The Brady Bunch" for ABC back in the early 70s? Of course you do...
The Opening Credits were always enjoyable, what with the cast looking around at each other from their "grid" of blue squares...
Well, where do you they think they got that idea?
So the next time you are short of breath, remember the Iron Lung won't you? I know I will...
(Funding for today's TVGuy was provided by "Dave's Lung Emporium", "That's Lungtastic!", and "Lung Express"....)
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Booth: Well, nothing brings people together like a Christmas lung fungus....
--"Bones" (FOX)
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