The "Bends"

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rawls

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Just interested in seeing how many posts it will take to come up with the answer to how the term "the bends" came about. Someone will get it right, just interested in seeing how quickly.
 
That would be from Caisson Disease prior to the age of OC diving. IE, workers in a pressurized caisson for 8-12 hours then emergering and bending over in pain. IE, the bends
 
i thought it was because of the whole joints thing...ie where you 'bend' but i have no idea really :P
 
Brooklyn Bridge workers had a hard time with Casson Disease AKA the Bends because of the pain.


Gary D.
 
rawls:
Just interested in seeing how many posts it will take to come up with the answer to how the term "the bends" came about. Someone will get it right, just interested in seeing how quickly.

It came from the caisson workers building bridges. They got DCS and started walking in a hunched forward position to minimize the pain.

Women at that time also walked with a similar forward hunch to accommodate fashions of the day. This was called the "Grecian Bend". Since the caisson workers position was very similar to that of the "Grecian Bend" they started calling the caisson workers posture the "Grecian Bend" which was later shortened to "the bend" which ultimately became "the bends".
 
The term comes from "Grecian Bend," a posture affected by women in polite society in the latter half of the 19th century. The posture itself derived from a dance introduced around the Civil War. The posture of persons stricken with Caisson Disease appeared similar to the Grecian Bend posture.
 
Thats interesting. I knew about the caisson workers but not about the Grecian thing. Thanx!
 

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