How it feels to Drown.

Manawatu Herald, 2 April 1903, Page 3

How it feels to Drown.

VIVID PERSONAL NARRATIVE BY A DOCTOR. Dr J. A, Lowson, in the Edinburgh- Medical Journal, describes his sensations on an occasion when be was nearly drowned. He says he got clear under the water. I then immediately struck out to reach the surface, at I thought, hut evidently only to go further down. The exertion was a serious waste of breath, and after what appeared to be ten or fifteen seconds, the effort of inspiration could no longer be restrained, and pressure on the chest began to develope. Probably the most striking thing to remember at this period of time was the great pain produced in the chest, and which increased at every effort of expiration; it seemed as if one were in a vice, which was gradually being screwed up tight until it felt as if the sternum and spinal column must break. Many years ago, my bid teacher, Fir Henry Littlejohn, used to describe how painless and easy a death by drowning was—“like falling about in beautiful green fields in early summer; ” this flashed across my brain at the time, and I said to myself, “Poor old devil, Littlejohn—scarcely so accurate that,time.” The “ gulping process? became more frequent for about ten-efforts, and hope was then extinguished Even though X had! seen no land, I felt sure there must be some near, and had hoped to get te the surface again to make an eftort to reach it. The pressure after these ten (circa) rapid ‘ gulps ’ --seemed iwnbearable, but gradually the pain seemed to ease up as the carbonic acid was accumulating in the blood At the same time the efforts at inspiration with their accompanying “gulps” of ..water occurred at longer and longer interva ig. My mental condition was now such that I appeared to be in a pleasant dream, although I bad enough will power to think of friends at home, and still retain vivid recollections of the clearness of the sight of the Grampians, familiar to me in boyhood, which was brought to,my view. Before finally losing consciousness, the chest pain had campletely disappeared, and sensation was pleasant. What time I bad then passed in the water I cannot possibly say—but I should

think about two minutes; I was greatly handicapped below water by the previous exertion in getting on deck, and then by the stunning blow on the head, with the result that instead of going down after a full inspiration their was actually very little more than residual air in the lungs. Then the useless attempt to reach the surface would further reduce the time necessary to produce unconsciousness. Ca} t lin Marryat’s experience of drowning was that the sensations was rather pleasant than otherwise, and Sir Henry Littlejohn seems to have almost used Captain Marryat’s words. They are both wrong— Marryat probably forgot about some of his sensations.

To go on with the narrative—-con-sciousness returned and I found myself at the surface of the water, and managad to get about a dozen good inspirations. A hurried glance showed me the land apparently 400 yardsdistant, and I proceeded to utilise first a bale of silk and then a long wooden plank to assist me to the shore.