STA:IDARD FORM NO. Office i'dei;zoyaiidiii;z UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO f,i le DATE: Decpnt@,er 1951 FRQM 14 SUBJECT: carbon Dioxide Therapy, Possible "Artichoke" Use 1. Reference is made to a book entitle2d C;,EE(@)i@T L)IOXIDE T14FRAPY by L. J. I-lediin.,i, M. D., Professor of University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chic.ago, Illinois. 2 . 'nii-s book sfi,s ibrt,h the treatment of certain ty-@ies of nervous di-8orderq or p5@,chol)2atliie coiidit,ions by the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) mixed with oxygen. Di-. Meduni has set forth in thi3 book his techniques in the administration of carbon dioxide treatment on- certain types of mental patients and, in general, it may be sta.fed that he uses, for medi- 1 2 0 cal purpos-es, 30,'@" CC)2 mixed with 70/' oxygen. Dr. i,tediiiia uses this mixture by straight cor-mei-c@-al purchase of the mixed gao in Chicago which he buys for approximately 1;"9.75 a tank full. This gas comes in tanks whicii con- tain 12400 gallons of gas under about 1800 pounds pressure and is delivered 4. L'o the patients through two manometers into a standard breathing bag, gas inhalin2 device. 3. Accordinr, to Dr. Meduna, the inlialation of thi-5 mixture rapidly Induces unconsciousness in a p--ttient. 2 Thi,,:; is hel-d for -? mi.t,ter of a. -,d and the patient then regains full few seconds when the ma,sk i,, remove consci(nisness throligh a so c,4.lled "transitional" period. Alnparently diirino, this trinsitional period, Dr.,'Mfduna questions the pa2tient and also at this time the patients talk 'over or tell about their experiences in the sense of a psychie,tric treatment. This book indicates that by the use of a C02 dosare, many in- dividiials have talked at great lengths of their past, revealed intiniate secret3., abreacted, etc., etc. and becaus2e of this, Dr. ?@Ipciiini has ap- parently )cliieved gome excellent results in treating certain mental conditi-ons. 5. Although C02 treatments appa.rently produce intense dreams, hal- lucinitions to i. certain extent and @i deiire and willine.-ne-qs to tal2k, the writer is dollbtftll. if this C02 treatment could he applied to "Artic@ioke" tinlr@ss it was applied after the iri(lividi),il had I-,ef-n r(,ndered uncongciolls, since the treatmerit irivolves the use of a gas mask ird cuin'@ersome equi-p- ment. iiowever, it. might be of ii@i.eregt to exanitie t.hi.s t,,@chn-iqiie with tli(-- vi-w towai,(] fil-I.ing an air-proof room with a siniil,-ir crss mixture (30" C02--70@, oxycen). 6 The book does not indicate any extensive use of hypnosis or auto-silggestion in connection with the C02 treatments or the use of C02 as a means of gaining hypnotic control. 7. In connection with the above, it might be possit-le to tl,?',re C02 experiments conducted a.lonf,- with experirrients on low o2yygen content or high and low pressures in airtight rooms. 8. It is suggested that -a@i@@nformat,ion be made available to the medical st-aff (pprhaps Or to a future discussion with.' edi afow'@@ in C r psychiatric consultaiits of thi7s Agency. 9. The took, CAPPON DIO:(LDE I'liERA.FY, apparently cirle from the Army t-ledical Library at Wa3hinF-,ton, D. C., and the library number is QV 3iLt M493C 1950.