Paralysis and blindness during a balloon ascent to high altitude.
An account of the classic balloon ascent to over 29,000 ft (8840 m) by J. Glaisher and H. T. Coxwell on September 5, 1862, appeared in The Lancet and is reproduced here. Glaisher reported paralysis of his arms and legs and sudden loss of sight. Coxwell also lost the use of his hands and could only open the valve of the balloon to initiate its descent by seizing the cord with his teeth. These symptoms are unusual for acute hypoxia, and in a recent article Michael J. Doherty suggested that they may have been caused by decompression sickness. However, this seems unlikely based on many reported cases of subatmospheric decompression sickness.
West
John B
JB
Department of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0623, USA. jwest@ucsd.edu
D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000150:complications / Q000266:history*; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history*; D003665:Decompression Sickness / Q000150:complications / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000266:history; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history*; D006113:United Kingdom