Life

Heimlich's son questions use of maneuver on drowning victims

By Kevin Lamb

Staff Writer

Friday, September 01, 2006

Of all the voices shouting down Dr. Henry Heimlich, the loudest belongs to his son, Peter.

He and his wife, Karen Shulman, have established a Web site with an exhaustive collection of scientific papers, media reports, correspondence and other documents pertaining to Heimlich's various causes, including the Heimlich maneuver's application to both drowning and asthma.

Extras

"This isn't an abstract discussion," Peter said. "Drowning is an emergency in which seconds count. Delaying CPR can lead to brain damage or death."

Henry declined to discuss Peter or his medfraud.info Web site, calling it "a family issue."

Peter's relationship with his parents was "cordial but distant" until he learned of "serious, unaddressed medical problems in the family." Wondering how a physician could have let them develop, Peter and Karen started looking at Henry's work in March 2002 for some insight.

The Web site has become a repository of material about not only drowning, but also Heimlich's attempts to cure AIDS by injecting African patients with weakened malaria parasites. It also raises questions about how the maneuver and an esophageal surgery came to be named for Heimlich, among other things.

Drowning is where Peter's impact has been biggest. "In my opinion, (it) is unethical and reckless," he said, for Henry to recommend ignoring rescue protocols in his talks to lifeguards and middle-school students.

"He's putting the public at risk, so I decided to speak up," Peter said. "As his son, I felt responsible to do what I could to put a stop to it. I don't want anyone else to get hurt."