iron lung

American  

noun

1. a chamberlike respirator, formerly used in the treatment of poliomyelitis, that encloses the whole body except the head and in which alternate pulsations of high and low pressure induce normal breathing movements or force air into and out of the lungs.

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iron lung British  

noun

1. an airtight metal cylinder enclosing the entire body up to the neck and providing artificial respiration when the respiratory muscles are paralysed, as by poliomyelitis

2. informal a gas container used in dispensing beer

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Etymology

Origin of iron lung

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

iron lung

Lane spent the next several months in an iron lung.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2024

"He needed a unique type of care. Not even professionals are trained to take care of a quadriplegic in an iron lung," says Philip of the huge responsibility that came with supporting his brother.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2024

Watch: Philip Alexander remembers his brother, 'the man in the iron lung'

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2024

When he died recently at the age of 78, Paul had spent more than seven decades using his iron lung, longer than anyone else in history.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2024

You could get polio without knowing how or where, end up in an iron lung without knowing why.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood