PFT history.
Pulmonary Function Testing
The modern spirometer is attributed to John Hutchinson from England. In 1846, Hutchinson published a study involving 2,130 participants to measure vital capacity. He is also recognised for introducing the term “spirometer.”
1920
Warren E. Collins, Inc.
Philip Drinker (1894–1972), an industrial hygienist at Harvard Medical School, and Louis Agassiz Shaw, Jr. (1886–1940), a physiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, collaborated in the late 1920s to develop a respirator for polio patients. By 1930, this device became widely known as the iron lung. In recognition of their groundbreaking work, Drinker and Shaw were awarded the John Scott Medal in 1931.
1959
Charles McKnight
Charles McKnight, Director of the Inhalation Therapy Department at Lutheran Hospital in Moline, is shown in this 1959 photograph alongside the hospital’s pulmonary function equipment.
1960s
Respirometer Components
This image from the 1960s labels the components of the Collins Respirometer.
1960s
Collins 9L Respirometer
Collins is widely recognized as a manufacturer of respiratory diagnostic instruments. This 9-liter respirometer, produced from the 1930s through the 1960s, was used to record various lung and heart functions in patients, both at rest and during activity.
1960s
Collins 9 L ID Plate
The Collins Respirometer measured various lung and heart functions in patients, both at rest and during activity. These included tidal volume (the volume of air exchanged with each breath), maximum breathing capacity (the amount of air exchanged during rapid and deep breathing), oxygen deficit (an indicator of low blood oxygen, now commonly measured with pulse oximeters), and vital capacity (the volume of air a person can exhale after taking their deepest breath). The device utilised the carbon dioxide absorbent Baralyme, enabling the patient to rebreathe their own air. The results of these tests were recorded as ink tracings on a revolving paper drum.
