Paul Alexander: Polio-Infected Man Who Spent 70 Years Inside Iron Lung, Dies At 78

Paul Alexander, globally known as the 'man in the iron lung' died on Thursday at the age of 78 after spending 70 years inside the 'iron lung'. Paul Alexander was just six years old when he contracted polio in 1952, leaving him paralysed below the neck for his entire life. Since the disease did not allow him to breathe independently, the doctors decided to place him inside a metal cylinder, where he spent the remaining years of his life. 

The announcement of his death was made by a fundraising website which stated: "Paul Alexander, 'The Man in the Iron Lung', passed away yesterday," BBC News reported.

The post further stated: "Paul went to college, became a lawyer and a published author. He was an incredible role model."

He graduated from high school and went on to attend the Southern Univerity. In 1984 he completed his law degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Subsequently, he was admitted to the bar and even practiced as a lawyer for decades, BBC News reported.

Paul's brother Philip Alexander while remembering him stated that he was a "warm and welcoming person" who always had a "big smile" on his face that would put people around him at ease.

"He was just a normal brother to me. We fought, we played, we loved, we partied, we went to concerts together - he was just a normal brother, I never thought about it," BBC quoted Philip saying. 

Philip also stated that he was in awe of his brother as he was self-sufficient and even dealt with an illness that disrupted him from performing his day-to-day tasks, including feeding himself. 

While recalling how Paul spent his last days with his brother eating pints of ice cream, Philips stated that "it was honour to be with him in his last moments," BBC News reported.

How Iron Lung Helped Paul Alexander Survive 

As per reports, when Paul became ill in 1952, the doctors in his hometown Dallas operated on him. Although they saved his life, polio left him with a permanent disability as he was paralysed down the neck and could no longer breathe on his own. In order to help him breathe, the doctors placed him in an 'iron lung' — a metal cylinder that enclosed his body up to his neck.

Paul had come up with his own name for the iron lung and called it his "old iron horse".

The iron lung had bellows inside it which sucked air out of the cylinder and forced his lungs to expand, taking in the air. As the air was let back in, the same process in reverse made his lungs deflate.

After a few years, he had learned to breathe by himself, enabling him to leave the iron lung for short periods.

The last iron lung was manufactured almost fifty years ago and it was difficult for Paul to find people who could help in the maintenance of the device that was helping him breathe. He was the last person to have used the contraption. Paul defied all odds, surviving decades.