Radiolab – "The Man Behind the Maneuver"

Date: March 5, 2013
Hosts: Jad Abumrad, Robert Krulwich
Reported by: Patrick Walters
Main Guest: Dr. Henry Heimlich

Overview

This Radiolab episode dives into the life and legacy of Dr. Henry Heimlich—the man behind the lifesaving Heimlich maneuver. Reporter Patrick Walters traces his own personal connection to the maneuver, explores Heimlich’s dramatic life, examines the controversy around Heimlich’s later career, and questions how we remember pioneering figures whose contributions are both celebrated and questioned.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Connection: Patrick Walters’ Own Experience

• [01:47] Patrick recalls nearly dying from choking on apple peel as a child, saved by the Heimlich maneuver performed by his school nurse, Mrs. Ennis.
• Realizes he knows nothing about Henry Heimlich and sets off to find out more.

2. The Early Life of Henry Heimlich

• [04:36] As a 21-year-old in 1941, Heimlich survived a train accident and saved a man from drowning, an experience that set a pattern for his career.
  • "The whole engine jumped into the middle of the lake... I jumped in the water and I held him up... For an hour or so." – Dr. Henry Heimlich [05:14]
• Became a thoracic surgeon, innovating to solve life-or-death medical problems.

3. Inventing the Heimlich Chest Valve

• [05:52] Observes soldiers dying from chest wounds and invents a valve to drain blood and air from the chest, saving lives in Vietnam.
  • "I ran to the 5 and 10 cent store, bought a few simple parts, and actually made this tube device..." – Dr. Henry Heimlich [06:11]
  • 4 million units sold since the 1970s.

4. The Birth of the Heimlich Maneuver

• [07:17] In 1972, Heimlich reads about deaths in restaurants—often misdiagnosed as heart attacks but really choking incidents.
• Inspired, he hypothesizes that compressing air in the lungs could expel an obstruction. He tests the idea on an anesthetized dog in his lab.
  • "Took my fist just above the belly button and pressed... nothing... and then on the third try, that beef ball flew right across the room. I knew he had it." – Dr. Heimlich [09:47, 10:05]
• Publishes the maneuver in a medical journal and national newspaper in 1974.

5. Spread and Public Adoption

• [10:26] Within a week, a retiree saves someone using the maneuver after reading about it.
• Heroic stories and celebrity incidents flood Heimlich's mailbox; the maneuver becomes a national phenomenon.
  • "Cher, Goldie Hawn, Walter Matthau, Carrie Fisher, and Ronald Reagan." – Patrick Walters [11:23]
  • "Dear Dr. Heimlich... I might be dead if it wasn’t for you." – Third grader from Kentucky [11:44]

6. Controversial Expansion of the Maneuver’s Use

• [12:22] Dr. Heimlich begins to claim the maneuver can treat asthma attacks and save drowning victims. Medical experts dispute these claims:
  • "There are a lot of misconceptions about it when someone drowns—that their lungs will be full of water... It's important to quickly start CPR..." – Jonathan Epstein [13:37]
  • Heimlich’s insistence leads companies to erroneously teach the maneuver for drowning for years.

7. Radical Medical Experiments

• [14:48] In the 1980s-2000s, Heimlich explores using induced malaria—"malaria therapy"—to treat Lyme disease, cancer, and AIDS.
  • "And I believe that I have a possible cure of AIDS." – Dr. Henry Heimlich [14:48]
  • Malaria therapy condemned as dangerous and scientifically baseless by medical authorities, including Dr. Anthony Fauci.

8. Family Rift and Public Criticism

• [17:00] Heimlich’s son Peter publicly criticizes his father’s experiments as dangerous and starts a campaign against him; the family is divided.
• The show discusses editorial decisions about including Peter’s voice but ultimately honors access conditions.

9. Creative Genius vs. Reckless Maverick?

• Heimlich argues that radical ideas are always initially resisted:
  • "Creative ideas are often attacked because people oppose change or do not understand new concepts... Creativity requires courage." – Dr. Heimlich [18:24, 18:35]
• Son Phil defends his father:
  • "People who have genius and great ideas often, often have to struggle to get their ideas out." – Phil Heimlich [19:01]

10. Reassessment by the Red Cross and Legacy

• [19:27] Recent research suggests that back slaps ("back blows") are as effective as the Heimlich maneuver for choking.
  • "It was very clear that back slaps or back blows... appear to be equally effective as the Heimlich maneuver." – Jonathan Epstein [20:10]
• Red Cross now recommends back blows first and calls it "abdominal thrusts" instead of "the Heimlich maneuver".
  • "This is wrong." – Dr. Heimlich [20:52]
• Heimlich remains proud, feeling immortalized by his maneuver’s name.

11. Full Circle: Thank You to His Rescuer

• [23:15] Patrick calls Mrs. Ennis, the school nurse who saved him, and she reads the letter she wrote to him years ago, poignantly reflecting on the impact of that day.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "That was the first time." – Dr. Henry Heimlich, after saving a man on the train [05:39]
• "That just seems weird." – Jad, reacting to the idea of treating asthma with the Heimlich every week [12:56]
• "This is the symbol that you're choking, right?" – Johnny Carson on national TV, as Heimlich demonstrates the maneuver [11:32]
• "Rose are red, violets are blue, I might be dead if it wasn’t for you." – Third grader's letter to Dr. Heimlich [11:44]
• "It's unbelievable." – Dr. Heimlich, responding to the Red Cross changing its recommendations [20:37]
• "My name means saving lives. And when I’m gone, it’s still going to be the Heimlich maneuver." – Dr. Heimlich [21:26]
• "I think when you said, 'I can breathe,' was one of the happiest moments of my life." – Cindy Ennis, school nurse [24:49]
• "But when I think about my kids... when they learn this thing, it won't be called the Heimlich maneuver. And... I really don't think that I would tell them to call it that." – Patrick Walters [25:18]

Important Timestamps

• [01:47] Patrick’s choking incident retold
• [04:36] Heimlich’s train disaster heroics
• [06:33] Invention of the triangle valve
• [07:17] Origin story of the Heimlich maneuver
• [11:32] Heimlich on Johnny Carson
• [12:22] Expansion to asthma, drowning, and criticism
• [14:48] Malaria therapy and AIDS claims
• [17:00] Family conflict: Peter vs. Phil Heimlich
• [19:27] Reassessment: back blows as effective as Heimlich maneuver
• [23:15] Patrick calls his childhood rescuer, Mrs. Ennis

Tone and Style

The episode is a blend of curiosity, admiration, skepticism, and soul-searching. Jad, Robert, and Patrick maintain a conversational, inquisitive tone, mixing wonder with critical thinking, and ultimately balancing personal experience with broader societal shifts in how we remember scientific figures.

Final Reflection

Radiolab’s exploration of Dr. Henry Heimlich shows both the brilliance and dangers of medical innovation, the value and fallibility of heroes, and the real human lives entwined with their legacies—ultimately raising more questions about how we honor the past while embracing evidence and change.