Citation

West JB. High Alt. Med. Biol. 2004; 5(4): 453-456.

Affiliation

Department of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0623, USA. jwest@ucsd.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/ham.2004.5.453

PMID

15671636

Abstract

An account of the classic balloon ascent to over 29,000 ft (8840 m) by J. Glaisher and H. T. Coxwell on September 5, 1862, appeared in The Lancet and is reproduced here. Glaisher reported paralysis of his arms and legs and sudden loss of sight. Coxwell also lost the use of his hands and could only open the valve of the balloon to initiate its descent by seizing the cord with his teeth. These symptoms are unusual for acute hypoxia, and in a recent article Michael J. Doherty suggested that they may have been caused by decompression sickness. However, this seems unlikely based on many reported cases of subatmospheric decompression sickness.

Language: en