| Poliomyelitis is an infectious viral disease that sometimes results in paralysis of the muscles involved in breathing. In the early half of the 20th century, paralytic patients were treated using an iron lung, or respirator, a large cylinder that encased the patient in an airtight seal. Motors in the iron lung forced air in and out of the patient’s lungs, providing lifesaving support until recovery and rehabilitation restored the ability to breathe unaided. There is still no cure for polio, although effective vaccination programs have virtually eradicated polio in most industrialized nations. |
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