Compressed Air Work And Diving 1909

C UR ATI VE TREATMENT. B the valne of this exposure the time spent in the medical lock before the half absolute pressure is rcached should be added to the working exposure. As a general rule it is not wise to hurry clecompres- sion after curative treatment, and the six hour table will therefore be the safest one to use. If the patient is, however, only being treated for a mild case of bencis which has come on an hour or so after leaving work, these excessive precautions need not be taken, provided the pressure in the medical air-lock is not raised above about 15 Ibs., which will usually be sufficient for treatment of cases such as these. The medical lock should be fitted with a couch, on which a patient may recline, and should also have double doors like those of an ordinary working air-lock, so that a cloctor may be able to enter and attencl to a patient without any necessity of raising or lowering the pressure in the medical lock itself. TABLE IV. [A. E. Boycott, G. C. C. Damant, and J. S. Haldane.] Showing Rate of Decompression in Caisson and Tunnel I Vor/:. Working Pressure in Pounds per Square Inch. Number of Minutes for each Pound of Decompres- sion after the First Rapid Stage. After first three hours’ exposure. After second or third three hours’ exposure follow- ing an interval for a meal. After six hours or more of con- tinuous exposure. 18-20 pounds 2 3 5 21-24 3 5 7 25-29 5 7 8 30-34 6 7 9 35-39 8 9 40-45 7 8 9