Those crazy US navy guinea pigs

[tangaloomaflyer]

Someone told me that when they were researching the US navy dive tables, that some poor souls ended up so loaded with nitrogen you could see the bubbles coming out of them! Sounds fishy to me - is it true?

I'd like to find out a bit more about how they made the dive tables, anyone know any good websites/books?

 

[Carlos Carvalho]

Experiments on humans, they may have done some, but the real experiments should have been done using animals… here an example:

Dehydration effects on the risk of severe decompre...[Aviat Space Environ Med. 2006] - PubMed Result

And an example with humans:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16780236?dopt=Abstract

 

[tangaloomaflyer]

I know they would have done this in a hyperbaric chamber but I can't help thinking of pigs in BCDs wearing masks and fins...

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The theoretical stuff was worked out at the end of the 1800's and much of the early research (1900 to pre-WWI) to test the theory was done with goats. By the time they got to human test subjects they had the gross errors worked out and were fine tuning the model.

The US Navy got invovled in 1912 and began testing the Haldane tables and stage decompression techniques. I have no doubt test subjects got bent and went for chamber rides, but the overall risks would have been low and the mistakes treatable.

 

[Gene_Hobbs]

I'd like to find out a bit more about how they made the dive tables, anyone know any good websites/books?

Why yes, as a matter of fact I do. :blinking:

Start here:

Boycott AE, Damant GCC, Haldane JS. The prevention of compressed air illness. J Hyg. 1908;8:342–443. RRR ID: 7489

From there I would hit the Stillson report (establishing needs at that time):
Stillson, GD. (1915) Report in Deep Diving Tests. US Bureau of Construction and Repair, Navy Department. RRR ID: 6527

Van der Aue working on what would be the 53 tables (an example of what went into that development):
Van Der Aue, OE; Brinton, ES; Kellar, RJ. Surface Decompression, Derivation and Testing of Decompression Tables with Safety Limits for Certain Depths and Exposures. NEDU-5-45. RRR ID: 3793

Then move forward to Workman (first major change to calculation since Haldane):
Workman. 1965 CALCULATION OF DECOMPRESSION SCHEDULES FOR NITROGEN-OXYGEN AND HELIUM-OXYGEN DIVES. NEDU-RR-6-65 RRR ID: 3367

Braithwaite for the M-value calcs another way:
Braithwaite. 1972 Systematic Guide to Decompression Schedule Calculations. RRR ID: 3945

I would split away from the US Navy for a sec and throw in some Buhlmann here but we don't have much.

then hit Hills:
Hills, BA. A fundamental approach to the prevention of decompression sickness. SPUMS 1978 Volume 8 Number 2. RRR ID: 6176

Hit PADI (our very own Dr. Deco) for a look at their development:
Hamilton, Rogers, and Powell. 1994. Development and validation of no-stop decompression procedures for recreational diving: the DSAT recreational dive planner. RRR ID: 4228

and if you are not crazy by then... move to back to the US Navy and probabilistic models from the NMRI Volumes 1 - 11 (I am still scanning 12).

Statistically Based Decompression Tables. I. Analysis of Standard Air Dives: 1950-1970.
RRR ID: 3402

Statistically Based Decompression Tables. II. Equal Risk Air Diving Decompression Schedules.
RRR ID: 3403

Statistically Based Decompression Tables. 3. Comparative Risk Using U.S. Navy, British, and Canadian Standard Air Schedules.
RRR ID: 3404

Statistically Based Decompression Tables IV: Extension to Air and N2-02 Saturation Decompression.
RRR ID: 3405

Statistically Based Decompression Tables 5: Haldane-Vann Models for Air Diving.
RRR ID: 3406

Statistically-Based Decompression Tables. 6. Repeat Dives on Oxygen/ Nitrogen Mixes.
RRR ID: 3407

Statistically Based Decompression Tables. 7. Selection and Treatment of Primary Air and N2 - O2 Data.
RRR ID: 3408

Statistically Based Decompression Tables 8: Linear-Exponential Kinetics.
RRR ID: 3409

Statistically Based Decompression Tables IX: Probabilistic Models of the Role of Oxygen in Human Decompression Sickness.
RRR ID: 3410

Statistically Based Decompression Tables X: Real-Time Decompression Algorithm Using a Probabilistic Model.
RRR ID: 3411

Statistically Based Decompression Tables XI: Manned Validation of the LE Probabilistic Model for Air and Nitrogen-Oxygen Diving.
RRR ID: 3412

Enjoy!

 

[Gary D.]

Someone told me that when they were researching the US navy dive tables, that some poor souls ended up so loaded with nitrogen you could see the bubbles coming out of them! Sounds fishy to me - is it true?

It's very true..

But after some further research they renamed it to; "Farting In the Bath Tub". They also realized the gas was not Nitrogen..

Gary D.