In January 1938, Lancaster General Hospital purchased its negative pressure ventilator – commonly referred to as the “iron lung” – for $1,350, through a gift from an anonymous donor. That same year, the average annual income was approximately $1,700.
The iron lung is a nearly obsolete mechanical respirator that enabled patients to breathe on their own, when muscle control had been lost. Physicians often used the iron lung to treat patients diagnosed with polio.
In 1952, Dr. Jonas Salk developed the first effective polio vaccine. In April 1955, the first vaccines were available to 10,000 local Lancaster-city and county schoolchildren. By 1957, the vaccine was in full use and with no more patients to admit, the Polio Unit at LGH was phased out.
To learn more about the history of LG Health, visit https://www.historyoflgh.org.