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

Lane spent the next several months in an iron lung.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024

He was allowed to venture into the neighbourhood in his wheelchair with childhood friends, returning to the iron lung when he was tired.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2024

In moments of desperation like these, Paul had access to more portable breathing devices, which used a different sort of technology to the iron lung.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2024

Mr Richards had come into possession of two iron lung machines at a building clearance and he recalls how one day a paramedic walked in asking: "Is this the place I can find iron lungs?"

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2024

Cootie spent a year inside an iron lung that breathed for him, and he’d been in and out of hospitals ever since.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot