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 * Original Date: 02-15-97  11:03
 * Original Area: bit.med.resp-care.world
 * Forwarded by : Blue Wave/DOS v2.30
Newsgroups: bit.med.resp-care.world
From: Michael McPeck 
Subject: Emerson obituary-Boston Globe
JOHN H. EMERSON, AT 90; INVENTOR WHO IMPROVED DESIGN OF IRON LUNG
Date: FRIDAY, February 7, 1997
Section: Obituary
Page: B7
By Richard Saltus, Globe Staff
John Haven Emerson, a self-taught inventor and businessman who designed
the most widely used ``iron lung'' for polio patients, died Tuesday of
cancer. He was 90.
Mr. Emerson, founder and president of J.H. Emerson Co. in Cambridge,
played a major role in the development of respiratory care technology,
including the iron lung and early versions of resuscitators used in
breathing emergencies.
Although he never graduated from high school, Mr. Emerson, an Arlington
resident, became well known in the medical device field, receiving 35
patents on various designs. In 1979 he became the first nonphysician to
be awarded the Chadwick Medal by the American Thoracic Society for
outstanding contributions to respiratory medicine.
A descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson's brother William, Mr. Emerson was
born in New York City, where his father, Dr. Haven Emerson, served as
commissioner of public health during World War I. In 1928 he moved to
Cambridge and founded the company that continues under his sons.
Although breathing machines like the iron lung had existed since the
previous century, Mr. Emerson devised a lighter, quieter, simpler, more
reliable machine that was much less expensive, according to his son,
George. The Emerson iron lung became the most widely used of the
devices, which helped save many lives from polio, especially during the
polio epidemics of the 1950s.
Mr. Emerson's company developed an array of breathing devices for
hospitals, including a pump that is still used in draining fluid from
around the lungs after surgery. Other Emerson inventions included
resuscitators for drowning and smoke-inhalation victims, hyperbaric
oxygen chambers for smoke injury and burns, and breathing devices for
underwater diving.
Most recently, said George Emerson, actor Christopher Reeve, who was
paralyzed in a riding accident, has made use of a device that helps
people on ventilators to clear their throats of secretions.
In 1982, Mr. Emerson was awarded honorary membership in the American
Association for Respiratory Therapy, and in 1994, honorary membership in
the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
In 1944, the company purchased 60-acre Cross Island, off the
Massachusetts coast near Essex, for the use of the Emerson family and
company employees. Mr. Emerson spent most of his summers there following
World War II. His hobbies included tinkering with old watches and diving
equipment.
He leaves his wife, Madeleine (Rowland); two sons, William of Cambridge
and George of Arlington; a sister, Ruth Cooke of Kennett Square, Pa.,
and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
From the Boston Globe
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