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Iron Lung

Iron Lung

Grade Range: K-12
Resource Type(s): Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted: 7/9/2009

This early respirator for producing artificial respiration over long periods of time was designed and constructed by the donor, John Haven Emerson. Completed in July 1931, it was first used in the summer of that year at the Providence City Hospital, Providence, R.I...


National Standards

Historical Thinking Standards (Grades K-4)

Historical Thinking Standard 4: Historical Research Capabilities

4B: Obtain historical data.
 

United States History Standards (Grades 5-12)

Era 8: The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)

1: The causes of the Great Depression and how it affected American society
 
2: How the New Deal addressed the Great Depression, transformed American federalism, and initiated the welfare state
 
3: The causes and course of World War II, the character of the war at home and abroad, and its reshaping of the U.S. role in world affairs
 

Era 9: Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)

1: The economic boom and social transformation of postwar United States
 
2: How the Cold War and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam influenced domestic and international politics
 
3: Domestic policies after World War II
 
4: The struggle for racial and gender equality and the extension of civil liberties
 

Historical Thinking Standards (Grades 5-12)

Historical Thinking Standard 4: Historical Research Capabilities

4B: Obtain historical data from a variety of sources.
 

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Keywords

polio, disease, medicine, medical, science, infantile paralysis, paralysis, health, poliovirus, poliomyelitis, iron lung, innovation, invention, technology, Emerson, John Haven, respirator, respiration, machine, Drinker, Philip, Shaw, Dr. Louis Agassiz

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