Paul Alexander: 'Man in the iron lung' dies at the age of 78
![](https://lemmy.ca/pictrs/image/b3f6089b-4bf3-42fc-beaf-4494b0ae134e.jpeg)
![](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/8f2046ae-5d2e-495f-b467-f7b14ccb4152.png)
![Paul Alexander: 'Man in the iron lung' dies at the age of 78](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/26f27a4f-e554-43fd-a1a2-d4a12367e004.jpeg?format=jpg&thumbnail=256)
bbc.com
Paul Alexander contracted polio in 1952 when he was six, leaving him paralysed from the neck down.
In 1952, when he became ill, doctors in his hometown of Dallas operated on him, saving his life. But polio meant his body was no longer able to breathe on his own.
The answer was to place him in a so-called iron lung - a metal cylinder enclosing his body up to his neck.
The lung, which he called his "old iron horse", allowed him to breathe. Bellows sucked air out of the cylinder, forcing his lungs to expand and take in air. When the air was let back in, the same process in reverse made his lungs deflate.
He would go on to earn a law degree - and practise law - as well as publish a memoir.
This is what polio can do to you.
Get vaxxed folks.
Sure polio can kill you or leave you with debilitating health issues. But at least it won't turn you into a gay trans autistic person unable to fight like the new works order wants! /s
Unfortunately the idiots aren't making choices for themselves, they're deciding for their innocent kids
I watched an interview with him a handful of years ago. He was an amazing individual, and I'm sad to see his passing.
Get vaccinated people. Stuff like this doesn't have to happen anymore, but the idiots among us are actively attempting to let polio back into our lives.
Some info that I found important that isn't in this article but is in the Wiki:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Alexander_(polio_survivor)
(I haven't brought over the sources, they can be found on the Wiki link)