What is an Iron Lung?

A Tale of Two Names: Invented by John Haven Emerson in 1931, the Emerson Respirator (or the Iron Lung as it is more frequently called) creates a microenvironment that mimics the way the body’s chest muscles and diaphragm move air into and out of the lungs.

A True Lifesaver: In the 1940s and 1950s, incidents of polio began to rise to epidemic proportions. The iron lung became one of the most iconic objects of the polio epidemic.

Current Use

A reminder of the past: With polio being nearly eradicated in most of the world due to Jonas Salk's 1952 vaccine, the iron lung is largely obsolete. With that being said, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a new focus on modern-day respirators and the medical advancements that got us to today.

How to Learn More

Schedule a Tour: Contact the MHC to schedule a tour. Email us at mhcmail@osumc.edu, or call us at (614) 292-3275. We are located in Columbus, Ohio.

More to Come: Watch for more Curator's Top 25 artifact highlights throughout the rest of 2022!

In the meantime, visit go.osu.edu/MHC-iron-lung for more information about the iron lung in the MHC collections.

Medical Heritage Center Contact Information

The Ohio State University Health Sciences Library
5th Floor, Prior Hall
376 West 10th Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210
(614) 292-3275
go.osu.edu/mhc