Poster Advice Aided Boy To Revive Baby Brother

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30057, 15 February 1963, Page 8

Poster Advice Aided Boy To Revive Baby Brother

(New Zealand press Association)

INVERCARGILL, Feb. 14. A 15-year-old boy, Earl Corcoran, this week saved the life of his baby brother, convulsed and choking on a piece of biscuit, by breathing down the baby's mouth in the way he had seen illustrated in a wall poster. Earl, who lives at Woodend, near Invercargill, was able to partly clear the obstruction and allow his 15-month-old brother, Tony, to regain his breath.

He gave an account of the hectic few minutes on Tuesday when his mother was in town doing her weekly shopping. "I was putting the baby to bed and had given him an animal biscuit to chew because he hates going to bed in the morning. “As I carried him from the kitchen to his bedroom he choked. Some of the biscuit must have got into his windpipe. "As I held him, he started to go blue, his head twisted back and I could see only the whites of his eyes. “Still holding him I ran to the telephone and rang the emergency number and was connected to the hospital. They did not offer any help and told me to ring the family doctor,” Earl caid. “By this time, the baby was blue all over and was quite still. He appeared to have stopped breathing. "I laid him on the table, opened his mouth and breathed hard into bis throat. At the same time, I pressed his stomach and chest.

"After doing this for a while, he began to choke again, so I thought he could breathe.

"I ran outside with him.

started the car and went down to a neighbour’s place, but they could not give me any help. "I then drove into town with a neighbour, Mr C. Huggins, to the doctor's surgery, but he was out. Ths nurse at the doctor’s surgery rang a number of other doctors. but they were all out. “On the way to the hospital, the baby gave a big gulp and started to breathe normally. The piece of biscuit must have dissolved, so I took him home, wrapped him up in a blanket, because he was very cold, and put him to bed. Their mother, Mrs Corcoran, who was away for just more than an hour, returned home. Tony was sleeping heavily. Earl said that it was only by chance that he knew how to apply mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He had read it on a placard on the wall at Kew Hospital when he was there for treatment to his leg.