Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1896 — KEPT ALIVE BY OXYGEN. [ARTICLE]

KEPT ALIVE BY OXYGEN.

Millionaire Reichling Paid 92,100 fo> His Last Week on Earth. Three hundred dollars a day for breath was What Francis Reichling, the millionaire mine owner, paid for th* last seven days he lived. It was by the administration of oxygen gas that Mr. Reichling was given a brief lease of life, and while this treatment is not absolutely new in theory, do effort to test it in practice to such an extent has heretofore been made. Through the grounds of Mr. ReichUng’s beautiful home at Piedmont runs a little mountain stream. While at work in its vicinity the millionaire contratced malaria. Congestion of the brain and pneumonia followed, and in their wake came valvular disease of the vheart Half of the sick man’s lungs became closed, and it was apparent that death must soon follow from the lack of breath. The dying man begged his physician to at least keep hrm alive until his son, traveling in Mexico, could reach him. There was but one hope—that of giving the patient a supply of artificial air by means of oxygen. This plan was at once adopted. The doctor procured a tank containing 100 gallons of oxygen. Attached to this was a rubber tube with a mouthpiece. There were two stopcocks—one at the mouth of the tube, the other at the point where the tube joined the tank. Whenever it became evident that Mr. Reichling was suffering from a want of breath he was required to inhale gas from 'the tank. The oxygen produced the same effect upon the blood and body os that resulting from ordinary breathing, and immediate relief followed the inhalation. The entire contents of the tank was consumed by the patient the first night—Saturday. On Sunday he absorbed 500 gallons, and the effect was visible on Monday in the manifest Improvement of his condition. On that day the patient Inhaled 800 gallons of oxygen. It was evident that the treatment was greatly reducing the pneumonia and relieving the heart trouble. On Tuesday the amount of oxygen absorbed was reduced 0 COO.gallons. On Wednesday 400 gallons were Inhaled, and on Thursday only 300 gallons w’ere administered. The following day the allowance was 20<J gallons. On Friday night, however, there came a great change for the worse. Paralysis, followed by apoplexy, was added to the other ills from which the patient suffered. Three hundred gallons of oxygen was inhaled on Saturday, but proved of no avail. The pneumonia and valvular heart trouble had been conquered by the administration of the oxygen, but Mr. Reichling’s enfeebled system was. unable to withstand the complications, and death brought freedom from pain on Saturday night. The wish of the patient’s heart had been gratified, however, as the son for whose presence he longed arrived the Tuesday before his death. Mr. Reichling was conscious and recognized the young man, although unable to speak to him. While tank oxygen is frequently used to restore vitality, medical records show that it is expensive to keep death at a distance by a fee of S3OO a day.—San Francisco Examiner.