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Pat Shingleton: "Ben Saves a Turkey..."

7 years 9 months 3 weeks ago Friday, June 24 2016 Jun 24, 2016 June 24, 2016 4:10 AM June 24, 2016 in Pat Shingleton Column
By: Pat Shingleton

Louisiana ranks second to the number of lightning hits on a yearly basis, Florida is number one. Yesterday's column reviewed the ability of the Turkey Vulture to stay cool in a strange way. The Old Farmer’s Almanac-Acts of God notes an excerpt from one of Benjamin Franklin’s journals which may have placed the famed statesman and inventor as one of the first to execute resuscitation. The Journal notes,  “A pullet (turkey) was struck dead by the lightning shock directed through its head.”  Franklin furthered in his journal that he attempted to revive the turkey by repeatedly “blowing into its lungs.”  His attempts with this procedure met with success and apparently the bird recovered.  However, once it was “set down”, the confused and delirious turkey ran headlong against a wall. Historians believe this was one of the first cases of artificial respiration being used as a treatment of electric shock.

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