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On the date of the 16th July 1913, the spongediver Giorgios Haggi Statti secured the anchor of the Italian Ship, the " Regina Margherita", which was stuck at a depth of 70 meter. Just three dives where needed for this attempt. The following historical fragment out of the medical logbook of the Regina Margherita was reported by Ferretti in 2001. Haggi Statti Giorgios, born in Simi, sponge diver. 35-year-old, married, four children, all alive and healthy. He is 1.70 meter tall and weighs 65 kilograms. His resting thoracic perimeter is -.92 meter, being 0.98 meter after a maximal inspiration, and 0,90 meter after a maximal expiration. Dark-skinned, slim, he has an ordinary muscle mass/ Altough an examination of the thorax reveals a remarkable lung emphysema, the upper part of the thorax has not yet reached a large size, even if it is somehwat convex and rigid. The heart tones are far, but regular. The pulse rate is 80-90 and the respirartory rate is 20-22. Nothing abnormal in the nervous system,. Nor in the eyes. He has impaired auditory function because of the complete lack of the eardrum in one ear and only the remnants of one in the other. He suffered from no illness, except for a trachoma, healed after surgery. He reports only pain in his back, which he tolarates resignedly. When asked to hold his breath in the ordinary ambient, he first refused, claiming that the test had no value because he could resist much more under water. Then he accepted, an it resulted that his capacity ynder these conditions is only 40 sconds. Yet in the rescue operations he dived to depths varying from 40 to 60 meters and even to 80 meter, staying under water for 1.30-2.25 minutes. He claims that he has reached 110 meter, and that he can stay at 30 minutes for up to 7 minutes. Statti emerged from all dives in good shape and vigour, as demonstrated by the way he jumped into the boat and released the water that had entered his nose and ears. When questioned on the phenomena he feels during the dives, he says he perveives none. Probably accustomed since childhood, he does not perceive them. He only says he feels all pressure on his shoulders. Nothing on his eyes. He also claims that at 80 meter, despite the weakening of light, one can see enough to work, if the water is clear. Source: Guido Ferretti, Extreme human breath-hold diving, eur J appl physiol (2001) 84:254-271 Read also:
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