Iron lung

An iron lung is a very big metal box that helps people who have a hard time breathing on their own. It works like a big breathing machine that helps your lungs breathe in and out. The person lying inside the iron lung is surrounded by a big airtight seal which helps air to go in and out of the lungs.

When someone has a really bad sickness called polio, it can make it hard for them to breathe on their own. The iron lung was created to help these people breathe and keep them alive. The person lying inside the iron lung can still see and talk, but they have to stay very still so the machine can work properly.

The iron lung was used a lot in the past, especially in the 1940s and 1950s, when polio was a big problem and there were no other ways to help people breathe. Nowadays, there are many other ways to help people breathe and the iron lung is not used as much anymore. But it was a very important invention that helped save many people's lives.