Waldenburg Apparatus

WALDENBURG APPARATUS (Waldenburg), used for breathing compressed or rarefied air. The Waldenburg apparatus is a gasometer consisting of two metal cylinders. Into the lower cylinder, which is filled with water and is 1 m high (30 cm in diameter), a second (upper) cylinder is lowered (with a diameter of 27 cm), which is open at the bottom; the latter is suspended by three pulleys and slides freely up and down.

Cords are passed over the pulleys, attached at one end to the upper cylinder; a weight is suspended from the other end of the cords. Two tubes are attached to the lid of the upper cylinder; one of them is connected to a mask that covers the nose and mouth, and the other to a mercury manometer, which indicates the pressure inside the cylinder. On the upper cylinder, there is a scale with divisions indicating the air content in the cylinder. At the bottom of the lower cylinder, there is a tap for draining water, and a water-gauge tube is attached. A tap is mounted on the mask; when this tap is turned, the mask is connected to the cylinder or to the outside air. The apparatus is filled with air by opening the tap and raising the upper cylinder, thanks to an increase in the weight on the cords. When the tap is closed and a weight is placed on the upper cylinder, increased pressure is created inside the cylinder, which is determined by the manometer. After putting on the mask and opening the tap, one inhales the compressed air slowly and deeply,

and after turning the tap, one exhales into the surrounding air, and so on. To obtain rarefied air, the inner cylinder is lowered as deep as possible while the tap is open, and then, after closing the tap, the weight on the cords is increased and the upper cylinder is raised. The degree of rarefaction is determined by the manometer. Through the mask, one inhales from the surrounding air and, after turning the tap, exhales into the rarefied air of the cylinder. For indications and contraindications for treatment with compressed and rarefied air, see Pneumotherapy.