Science History — December: Heimlich Maneuver and Other Notable Moments from 50, 100 & 150 Years Ago

This compilation revisits short science and technology items from the past that captured public attention: a medical first-aid endorsement, a cosmological warning, a communications breakthrough, a new Arctic route, and an odd popular entertainment. Each item reflects how scientific ideas and technological advances were understood and celebrated in their time.

Heimlich Maneuver

The American Medical Association gave a cautious endorsement to the 'Heimlich maneuver' as an emergency first-aid technique for choking on a foreign object. Dr. Henry J. Heimlich, a Cincinnati surgeon who described the method, advised that a rescuer stand behind the victim, wrap their arms around the victim’s waist, place the thumb side of a fist or the heel of the palm against the upper abdomen (between the navel and the lower edge of the rib cage), and deliver a quick upward thrust. That upward thrust elevates the diaphragm, compresses the lungs and forces air up the trachea, which can expel the obstructing object. Heimlich reported that since he first described the technique he had heard of 162 people whose lives were saved by it; the endorsement framed the maneuver as a limited but potentially life-saving first-aid measure when performed correctly.

Exhausted Universe

Physicists of the era described the long-term fate of the cosmos as a gradual 'running down.' Heat radiates away from stars, planets and other bodies, and over immense timescales everything cools, leaving cold, dark, rigid remnants drifting in space. Scientists also noted processes by which matter could be transformed into free energy, accelerating irreversible changes; before the final faint lights disappear, stars themselves would have dwindled into shrunken remnants of their former brilliance.

Telephone Diplomacy

Diplomacy and cultural exchange—embassies, scholarships, lecture tours and the like—have long aimed to build understanding between nations. The announcement that transatlantic telephone service would soon let a caller speak to London 'as if they were in the next street' (at a reported rate of five dollars for three minutes) was hailed as a major step. The argument was that inexpensive, direct, and frequent conversation between ordinary people could reduce misunderstandings and serve as a practical insurance of peace comparable to formal treaties.

New Route to Siberia

Professor N. Nordenskiöld’s voyage from Norway to Siberia via the Yugorsky Strait and the Sea of Kara generated excitement in Russia. At a meeting of the Society for the Encouragement of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Sidorov likened the journey to the discovery of a new world, suggesting it might open a regular line of communication between northern Europe and Siberia and provide an outlet for the region’s vast natural resources along its major rivers.

Training Fleas

Mr. Bertolotto, known for training fleas, exhibited his demonstrations in New York. He reportedly placed fleas (the species common to dogs) in a small circular glass box until repeated jumps made them learn to stop leaping and instead crawl for the remainder of their lives, which he estimated at about eight months. He then attached tiny wire nippers to the insects’ midsections and fastened miniature vehicles—wheelbarrows, cars or wagons—to the nippers; the fleas would then pull these loads. Bertolotto showcased his insects in novelty acts—fortune-telling wheels, tiny orchestras, and races—and allowed them to feed twice daily from his arm.

Context: Taken together, these short items illustrate how medical advice, cosmology, communications technology, Arctic exploration and popular curiosities intersected with public imagination in earlier decades.