Evening Star Newspaper, January 3, 1932, Page 77

JANUARY 3, 1932, Navy “Resurrects” Injured Diver in the Experimental Pressure Tank. TheRassmussen “*Sqneeze!’ Case Miracle Revealed. Weird Researches Are Described. Rex Collier ITHOUT fanfare of publicity, naval researches designed to make the sea and sky safer for Uncle Sam's explorers of the clements are being conducted behind two-inch steel walls, with astounding results. Confined in specially canstructed tanks of steel, unsung naval heroes have subjected themselves to pressures the equivalent of those to which divers are subjected at great depths and to vacuums comparable to those prevailing far above the earth. Extraordinary things—bordering on the mi- raculous—have happened in the course of these experiments. Take, for instance, the case of Johannas C. Rassmussen, commercial diver. It was something akin to a miracle that hap- pened to Rassmusstn in the recompression chamber at the Washington Navy Yard. The Navy is too conservative and too dis- creet to claim that Diver Rassmussen was resur- rected from the dead. Perhaps it is entirely possible for a man's respiration and pulse to stop for a matter of minutes and then resume activity. Rassumssen's role 2s a subject of experimen- tation was an involuntary one—the outgrowth of a life-and-death emergency. Apparently his breathing had ceased and cer- tainly his pulse could not be distinguished when treatment was administered to his limp, misshapen form in the pressure chamber by offi- cers engaged in diving disease researches. Local newspapers carried brief mention of the “successful treatment” given Rassmussen for “bends,” but the almost incredible details of the Rassmussen case never were published— possibly because the facts were so nearly un- believable. ASSMUSSEN was a viciim not of “bends,” but of a “squeeze’’—most dreaded of all perils of the deep. Mere mention of the “squeeze” is sufficient to send a shudder through the frame of even the m:st experienced of divers. One has a sporting chance to cheat the “bends” or other hazards that beset the path of those who tread the ocean's floor, but the “squeeze” is merciless. The ‘“squeeze” is a condition resulting from Joss of air pressure within the helmet of the diver. Sudden loss cf pressure leaves the head without resistance to the tremendous pressure of the sea surrounding the lower part of the body The tendency is to squeeze the body against the helmet—and into it. Records cf diving fatalities from the ‘“squeeze” are gruesome reading. They tell of the horrible Experimental diving unit learning how to avoid and treat “bends,” the “squeeze” and other perils that menace divers. Treating injured diver in recompression chamber at Washington Navy Yard. Oxygen apparatus is being demonstrated. fate of men crushed into unrecognizable shapes by the force of water at great depths, of whole bodies actually molded into the small limits of the helmet! The average msn’'s body has a surface area of approximately 2,000 square inches, excluding the head. At a depth cf but 22 feet the sea exerts a pressure on each square inch of ap- proximately 10 pounds. That means the total It wes in this steel tank that Diver Rassmussen was “brought ha-k to life. is the recompression chamber at Washington Navy Yard. ” This Photo shows en- trance end, pressure gauges and portholes along side. pressure on the body of a diver whose helmet has lost its pressure is about equal to a driving force of 10 tons. Usually victims of a “squeeze” are beyond medical aid when brought to the surface. Rassmussen was working on a caisson 40 feet kelow the surface of the Potomac River when a sudden jerk caused him to lose pressure in his he!met. He said afterward the water seemed to close in on him like a vise. Con- sciousness left him as he frantically tried to signal to the crew on the barge above. The diver was fearfully crushed when they puiled him over the side of the barge. The crew struggled several minuutes with the hel- met, which was removed with the greatest diffi- culty, due to the swollen condition of the face. “No words can describe adequately the ap- pearance of this patient or the tortures he must have gone through as a result of the ac- cident,” a Navy Department report states. “Photographs could not portray the hideous sight. * * * The shoulders, back and chest bore mute evidence of the effect of the crushing pressures, unde which even the folds of the dress bib left their imprint on the body in the form of livid welts. The patient could not speak, due to locking of the jaws. It is diffi- cult to describe the physiecal condition of the human wreck brought to us to patch up and bring back to life.” Bring back to life? These are the words of a naval diving ex- pert, not of a medical officer. In layman's ianguage they convey, however, an idea of the condition of the man whom naval diving ex- perimenters, not physicians, saved from pos- sible death by testing principles they had learned in research. The report of Chief Gunner C. L. Tibbals, at the time officer in charge of the experi- mental diving unit at the yard, is quoted: “Little hope was held for the patient's re- covery, but in such es as these there is always a chance, even if the patient’s respira- tion apparently has ceased, provided recom- pression is recorted to immediately and the heart re-stimulated.” Rassmuscen was carried into the recompres- cjon chamdoer on a stretcher, accompanied by Tibbals and two ol his men. The chamber is @ huge <teel tank with walle twn inches thick. .compartments and a small one. .large compartments is an entrance “lock,” capable of withstanding great internal or ex- ternal pressures. The tank contains two largg One of the through which access can be had to the other large compa:!tment, which is the treatment chamber The small compartment is for ad- mitting medical supplies, food or other articles without disturbing the pressure in the treat- ment chamber. The latter is provided with heaters, electric fans, telephones and other equipment. Glass portholes afford means of observing the reactions of patients in thg‘ chamber. HE injured diver, still unconscious, was car- ried into the chamber. Air pressure was increased slowly at first and when the pressure gauge registered seven pounds Rassmussen in- dicated that his senses were returning—his sense of pain, at least—for he pointed feebly to his ears. Tibbals understood the gesture and began to massage the man under the ears. At the touch of Tibbals’ fingers the patient jumped, apparently ip intcnse pain. The sud- den movement caused the man’'s jaws to un- lock and he was able to mumble a few un- intelligible words Tibbals held the patient’s nose closed and told him to blow, in an effort to clear the ears. The attempt nearly cost Rassmussen his life. Tibbals graphically ~described what followed: “The exertion of blowing caused breathing apparently to stop for a period of less than a minute. The exact time is not known. The pulse became very irregular and spasmodic, and finally for abowt one and one-half minutes no pulse could be distinguished at all. “I could not state that th? heart had stop- ped, but from all indications this seemed to be the case.” In their experiments with animals naval ex- perts had found that sudden increase in pres- sure served to stimulate the heart. Tibbals looked at the air pressure gauge. It indicated 16 pounds per square inch. He turned a valve and the pointer moved to 20. Closing the valve, he placed his firgers on the* “dead” man's wrist. He could not detect the slightest pulse. But within a few seconds the patient began to draw gasping breaths. Almost simultaneously Tibbals felt a heavy beat of the pulse. “It was as though an ob- ject the size of the rubber tip of a lead pencil had forced its way through the artery,” he said later. The strong beat was followed by several irregular pulsations and then by fairly regular beats. At the end of 10 minutes the pulse was nearly normal, and the patient began to show other signs of life. In the meantime Tibbals had raised the pres- sure gradually to 32 pounds. Rassmussen re- covered from his state of suspended animation with remarkable cglerity. Orders were issued for decompression to start. As the pressure dropped slowly to 20 pounds over a period of 15 minutes, Tibbals removed Rassmussen's shoes and began to rub his feet. While en- gaged in the massaging process Tibbals was surprised to hear Rassmussen’s voice. “That's better,” the diver said, weakly. *“I can feel them now.” The “human wreck,” who but a few moments before had been at the gates of death, then asked his benefactors to help him sit up. At this stage a medical officer entered with hypodermic needle, hot coffee and hot towels. Injections for the heart were given and the towels were placed over the bruised and swol- len face of the revived man. He drank greedily from a cup of coffee. Reduction of pressure in the tank continued - for about two hours. During this period the face became less bloated and the patient’s general condition improved repidly. “On completion of recompression,” Tibbals’ report relates, “the patient sat up, put on his shoes and said he was ‘as good as new.’ Ob- servers could not agree with this statemtent, however. The patient walked out of the chamber, drank ansther cup of coffee, climbed unaided in an ambulance and was taken to Providence Hespital.” < Naval officials were so interested in Rass- mussen's ease that periodic observations 'nb Continued on Nincteenth Page