Negative or Positive? The Iron lung and Poliomyelitis—Zurich, 1951

Anaesthesia and Intensive Care July 2017

Volume 45 Issue 1 supplement pp. 13-20

During the Poliomyelitis epidemics of the last century hospitals were inundated with patients in acute respiratory failure. Between 1946 and 1949, Dr. Nandor (Ferdinand) Eichel documented and evaluated the use of the Iron lung in children with acute poliomyelitis at the University Children's hospital, Zurich. Eichel produced his review as the Inaugural Dissertation towards his Medical degree from the the University of Zurich, published in 1951. The German dissertation was first translated into English in 2014. The current paper explores the findings and explains the transition to respiratory support techniques today. It includes a biography of Dr F. N. Eichel and an update on the current status of poliomyelitis.

Accompanying documents

Inaugural Dissertation by Dr FN Eichel (German)

Inaugural Dissertation by Dr FN Eichel (English translation)