James Elam

Who was James Elam?

James Otis Elam, was a U.S. M.D. and respiratory researcher.

Based on his research at the Buffalo's Roswell Park Memorial Institute for understanding carbon dioxide absorption, he developed a prototype ventilator device that efficiently could absorb carbon dioxide during surgery, dubbed the Roswell Park ventilator. This was further developed into the Air-Shields Ventimeter ventilator that were used for a period of almost 50 years.

Elam contributed significantly to the development and understanding of modern rescue breathing, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and brought it to the attention of the medical community and the general public. In 1954, Elam was the first to demonstrate experimentally that cardiopulmonary resuscitation was a sound technique, and together with Dr. Peter Safar he demonstrated its superiority to previous methods.

Elam wrote the instructional booklet Rescue Breathing, which was distributed throughout the U.S. in 1959.