'The Prevention of Compressed Air Illness' by Haldane et al - ACommentary

There is scarcely a publication on decompression theory that does not refer to “The Prevention of Compressed Air Illness,” the seminal paper of Haldane et al1 that appeared in the Journal of Hygiene. Although the monograph of the Frenchman Paul Bert 2 from 1878 is regarded as fundamental in respect to the discovery of the principal mechanisms involved in decompression, it is Haldane who is always associated with the first set of decompression tables. In general, 4 major topics are usually attributed to him: 1) the concept of “stage decompression,” 2) the “2:1”-supersaturation ratio, 3) the calculation of the on- and off-gassing of body tissues with inert gas, and 4) the calculation of the first decompression tables