Relays Of Men Work Broken Iron Lung

Chronicle (Levin), 6 August 1948, Page 5

Relays Of Men Work Broken Iron Lung

MASTERTON, August 5. About -7.30 o'cloek on Tuesday night the iron lung at the Masterton Publi'Hospital, containing a voung polio patient, ceased working when a cast iron arrti operating the bellows fractured. From that time till 3 a.m. the following day the lung was operated inanually by police eonstables, members of the hospital staff, St. John Ambulance men, and local residents working in relays. - When the mechanical puniping system broke down, the secretarymanager of ' the Wairarapa Hospital Board (Mr. Norman' Lee) immediately set about organising assistance to operate the lung manually. Constables R. 'J. Bell and A. N. Ciark off ered their services, and they were later assisted by four St. John Ambulance men. At 1 a.m. a party of local residents who had volunteered to help, toolc over and kept the lung working until 3 a.m., when the mechanical defecfy]ia,d been repaired. . - MVhileVthe |^n|Mw|is being operated manually the ^'os^dp^fi^ineer and two' engineers from the town worked at' top ipeed to repair the broken part. " Tt was a great job evervone did. They lertainly saved ,the.,life of the boy,,: ^aid Mrj. I)ee Lee .extended hi's ',tha»nkI.3foiuil.'.'ffte people whoicaiue and volunteered their services.