A Question For You!

[tomhofland]

Hello Freedivers!

I have a question for you, which you might can answer me.
As you all know humans have just as other mammals a diving reflex.
This information isn´t known for a very long time. But someone has found it out. My question is: who discovered this mammalian diving reflex?

Please help me to find the answer..

Thank you,

Tom Hofland

 

[trux]

Well, it probably depends quite a lot what exactly you understand under "mammalian diving reflex". Usually "diving reflex" is understood to be especially bradycardia response to facial immersion, which is only the initial part of the more broad process called "diving response". The connection of bradycardia and immersion is known probably since a long time. I do not know exactly but saw some references from the 1930's, but possibly it was known much earlier.

AFAIK, more serious study of the complex diving response was done especially in 1960's, and because there are still many aspects that need closer study, it continues until today.

You can find many documents about the diving reflex for example here: http://apnea.cz/?"diving%20reflex" and then sort them by the publishing date column. Check also the list of references at the bottom of each of these documents - there may be some older ones.

One of the oldest I am aware of, are for example the following ones, but it does not mean they are the oldest:
Heart rate responses to apneic underwater diving and to breath holding in man -- Craig 18 (5): 854 -- Journal of Applied Physiology (1963)
Cardiovascular effects of face immersion and factors affecting diving reflex in man -- Kawakami et al. 23 (6): 964 -- Journal of Applied Physiology (1967)