United States: Death of Paul Alexander, the man who lived for more than 70 years with a “lung of steel”

An American died Wednesday after seven decades of using a giant machine to help him breathe.

Paralyzed from the neck since childhood, he died at the age of 78.

He was known to be confined in a large iron tube. Paul Alexander died this Monday, March 11 at the age of 78. Nicknamed the “Man with the Iron Lung”, he contracted polio as a child and was paralyzed from the neck down. He could only shake his head. It was her brother, Philip Alexander, who announced the sad news on Facebook “with a heavy heart”. Paul “Touched and inspired millions”He said without specifying the exact cause of death.

“Positive Impact Around the World”

Its nickname comes from the iron lung, this chamber uses a pump to improve the pressure around the body and thus allow the patient to breathe. This discovery helped fight the devastating effects of polio. The record for the time spent in this device by Paul Alexander was about 70 years.

Despite the difficulties posed by the imposing machine, which covered his entire body, leaving only his head visible, the man in question managed to obtain a law degree and practice in the field. He also published a book. Moreover, during that time he learned to breathe “a long time” Without his cumbersome equipment, by contracting his throat muscles to force air into his lungs, that earned him a place in the “Guinness World Records”.

Paul Alexander shared his story in media and social networks. Notably, he has over 300,000 followers on TikTok. “His story has traveled far and has had a positive impact on people around the world.”Wishes went to Christopher Ulmer, the organizer of a fundraising campaign aimed specifically at helping pay his health expenses.

• Also read

  Poliomyelitis: After decades without a case in France, has the vaccine really become useless?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cases of poliomyelitis, a pathology against which there is now a vaccine, have greatly decreased worldwide. The 350,000 cases reported in 1988 have given way to several hundred cases per year now. This severe infectious disease, which can lead to irreversible paralysis, however, remains present in a handful of countries (for example Nigeria, Pakistan or Afghanistan) and occasionally reappears in others.