Fingers & Fumbs: Resusci Annie

eggshaped · 316416. Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:35 am

Question: Whose are the most kissed lips in the world?

Forfeit: None

Answer: Resusci Annie.

Notes:
Resusci Annie – the doll first-aiders train on - was designed by a Norwegian doll maker – Asmund S. Laerdal. Annie is life-size with a life-like face modelled on the death mask of a beautiful, unknown young girl who drowned in the Seine around 1900. She was entered into the books at the Paris morgue as “ecadavre feminine inconnu” before being buried in an unmarked grave. The pathologist at the morgue who dealt with the body was so overcome by her beauty and the look of peace on her face that he took a plaster mask so he could always remember her. Copies of this mask were soon found in souvenir shops, it became a popular thing to own, and factories began to churn out copies. Norwegian doll maker Asmund S. Laerdal saw the mask on the wall of his in-laws’ house and, wanting a female face for his CPR doll (figuring that men would be too macho to practise on a male face), copied it to create Resusci-Annie?

The cast, with its tragic story, became an overnight success with writers, artists and musicians fighting to get hold of a copy to put in their studios. Nabakov wrote a poem about her called “L’Inconnue de la Seinne,” Man Ray photographed her, Albert Camus called her 'The Drowned Mona Lisa", and Louis Aragon had a character in his book Aurélien try to resurrect her. In fact, the Inconnue became something of a fashion icon; it is said that a whole generation of German girls based their look on her. Some have recently cast doubt on the original story, saying that the face is so lifelike that it must’ve come from a living model. But who are we to argue with such a romantic story.

The first formal method of CPR was called The Silvester Method. A patient was laid on their back, and their arms were raised above their head to aid inhalation and then pressed against their chest to aid exhalation. The kiss of life, which became popular in the 1960s, is becoming less and less vital in first aid; current guidelines say that it if a patient collapses then it is actually much more important to perform continuous chest compressions; this is because generally CPR is used for heart attack victims. For children, near-drowning victims or those suffering from drug or carbon monoxide poisoning, the kiss of life is still important though. The old system of singing “Nelly the Elephant”, in order to count the number of compressions is certainly outdated; the recommended compression-ventilation ratio was changed from 15:2 to 30:2 in 2005 so you’d probably have to sing it twice.

Picture Ideas:
Particularly luscious lips
Picture of Resusci Annie.

Additional Sources:
http://217.68.21.30/print/0,,331405393-110633,00.html
http://www.resus.org.uk/pages/compCPRs.htm

Frederick The Monk · 318220. Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:55 am

I'd think we should have a picture of “L’Inconnue de la Seinne" too as it's such a powerful image. My first choice would be Man Ray's photo but as Helen pointed out it might be a shade expensive.

Flash · 318225. Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:03 am

Bunter's dad has a death mask in his consulting room. Not this one, mind - a man. Might be possible to borrow it, I should think.