One of the most enjoyable aspects of being in Rotary is the enjoyment of Guest Speakers, particularly speakers with interesting, yet uncommon subjects, where you are not just entertained but actually learn something too! Whilst divers might well be familiar with the term 'Hyperbaric', even divers may not be aware of the benefits of a pressure chamber outside saving a diver from the "bends", caused by returning too quickly back to the surface. David King, in his earlier career a Navy Diver, specializing already then in operating the decompression chamber, is such a speaker. In essence, Hyberbaric Medicine is the therapy of applying oxygen under high pressure. Pressure chambers go back for centuries starting in 1662 with the Henshaw Domicilium. Driven
by organ bellows (!!) [yes Henrietta, they did exist in those times; famous organ composer Dieterich Buxdehude was very active at that time], it was designed to simply create both hyper- (above normal) and hypo- (below normal) baric (weight, especially relating to atmospheric pressure) conditions. This progressed in 1870 to Fornlanini's Pneumatic Health Insitute (photo right) which was designed to simulate higher altitudes to combat Tuberculosis.Today, outside rescuing divers, Hyperbaric chambers ares used for a wide variety of purposes. One of the principal ones is Hypoxia related issues, where wounds are not healing due to lack of oxygen reaching the tissue. There are many causes - damage caused by radiation being just one. Treatment involves patients being placed in a pressurized chamber where 100% oxygen is applied. For wound healing, simulation of up to 14 metres depth is simulated. Hyperbaric Chambers are located in a number of cities throughout Australia, the closest one is at the Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital in Brisbane, where David is the Senior Hyperbaric Chamber Health Practitioner and supervisor if the Hyperbaric Chamber. Thank you, David, for coming all the way down from Brisbane to give us this very interesting presentation!