Alexander Graham Bell, who always considered himself a teacher of the deaf, did more than invent the telephone. When President Garfield was shot in 1881, Bell devised a specialized metal detector to find the bullet. Though he was too late to save the President, Bell's invention would save thousands of lives in the Boer War.
While absorbed in his mission to save President Garfield's life, Bell was late for the birth of his own son. He died a few hours after birth because he was unable to breathe. Bell never forgave himself, but set to work again and developed the precursor to what later became known as the iron lung.
Source: Destiny of the Republic, Millard.
7 comments:
He also did work in aeronautics and hydrofoils in Canada, Cape Breton. He and his wife are buried there.
There is a museum there that is very neat. Baddeck, I believe.
Whether or not Bell invented the telephone is highly debatable. Most evidence points to Antonio Meucci as the true inventor and Bell a thief of his ideas
I believe that Bell did try and find the bullet in President Garfield but was unsuccessful. It's not that his metal detecting gadget did not work, it's because people forgot about the bedsprings in the bed President Garfield was on. This resulted in false readings.
That is correct. Also, the doctor who was treating Garfield refused to allow bell to use the machine on the dside of the body where the bullet was located. By the time Bell realized that the coils in the mattress were giving false readings, the President was too far gone.
President Garfield suffered for months. The bullet should have been left alone, but the doctors kept probing the wound. They also didnt wash their hands and continued to infect the wound.
On a side note, if still alive Bell could invent a machine to find John Browns brain and heart.
Wonder stuff, HISTORY . Who said, the problem with history is that it repeats itself?
I don't know, Peter, but someone will probably repeat it.
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