Mont Blanc with Oxygen: The First Rotters

Abstract

After a brief outline of some early theories about the effects of thin air, the attempt of Joseph Ch. Hamel on Mont Blanc in 1820 is described. The Russian physician had postulated that lack of oxygen was responsible for muscular weakness at altitude and therefore had planned to study the oxygen content of air and blood on the summit and to administer oxygen to see if it improved performance. During the ascent he observed "pneumatic flatulence," shortness of breath, and fatigue. Shortly before the summit, an avalanche, which killed three of his guides, stopped and terminated the expedition. Although Hamel may have lacked the necessary equipment, he was among the first to try to test his hypothesis on altitude effects by experiments.