Timeline of respiratory therapy

• 1550 BC: The Ebers Papyrus describes ancient Egyptian inhalation treatments for asthma.

  Eighteenth Century (1700s)

• 1771: Carl Scheele makes "fire air" by heating magnesium oxide. His findings are published in June 1774.
• 1774: Joseph Priestley, credited with the discovery of oxygen, publishes his work on "dephlogisticated air" oxygen 3 months after a report by Carl Scheele.

  Nineteenth Century (1800s)

• 1816: Rene T.H. Laennec invents the stethoscope for chest auscultation and lays the foundation for modern pulmonology with his book Diseases of the Chest.
• 1860: Bunsen and Kirchhoff invent the spectrometer.
• 1860: Stokes and Hoppe-Seyler demonstrate the oxygen transport function of hemoglobin.
• 1897: Gustav Killian performs the first bronchoscopy in Germany.
• 1899: Dr. Thomas Willis defines specific Asthma symptoms for diagnosis.

  Twentieth Century (1900s)

1900-1920

• 1908: George Poe demonstrated his mechanical respirator by asphyxiating dogs and seemingly bringing them back to life.
• 1918: Oxygen masks are used to treat combat-induced pulmonary edema.

  1920-1940

• 1928: Phillip Drinker develops the "iron lung" negative pressure ventilator.
• 1935: Carl Matthes invented the first noninvasive oximeter employing an ear probe.

  1940-1960

• 1943: Dr. Edwin R. Levine, MD began training technicians in basic inhalation therapy for post-surgical patients.
• 1946: Dr Levine and his technicians formed the Inhalation Therapy Association.
• 1954: March 16, 1954 the ITA is renamed the American Association of Inhalation Therapists.
• 1966: February 1966, the ITA was again renamed the American Association for Inhalation Therapy.
• 1956: The AAIT begins publishing a science journal, Inhalation Therapy.
• 1960: In October 1960 The American Registry of Inhalation Therapists is formed to oversee examinations for formal credentialing for people in the field.

  1960-1980

• 1961: Sister Mary Yvonne Jenn becomes the first Registered Respiratory Therapist
• 1961: Metaproterenol, the beta-2 bronchodilator is introduced.
• 1964: The Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists is founded in 1964 as the Canadian Society of Inhalation Therapy Technicians.
• 1970: In 1970 The Board of Schools of Inhalation Therapy Technicians became the Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Therapy Education.
• 1971: Continuous positive airway pressure is introduced by Gregory.
• 1971: The journal Inhalation Therapy is renamed to Respiratory Care.
• 1974: The two US credentialing programs merge into a single credentialing organization called the National Board for Respiratory Therapy in 1974.
• 1980: President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the first Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Week.

  1980-2000

• 1982: California passes the first modern licensure lawgoverning the profession of respiratory care.
• 1982: In 1982 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Respiratory Care Week.
• 1986: In 1986 the NBRT is renamed the National Board for Respiratory Care.
• 1998: The JRCRTE evolves into the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care.

  Twenty-First Century (2000s)

• 2000: Respiratory Care journal is accepted into Index Medicus and its online counterpart, the MEDLINE service.
• 2004: Vermont becomes the 48th state to pass a Respiratory Care Act, effectively bringing legal credentialing to all 48 contiguous states in the United States.
• 2010: On December 14, 2010 the National Commission for Certifying Agencies grants accreditation to the Sleep Disorders Specialty Examination. The CRT-SDS and RRT-SDS.
• 2011: In July, 2011 the NBRC creates the Adult Critical Care Specialty for Registered Respiratory Therapists.
• 2011: In 2011 the State of Hawaii became the 49th state in the United States to create a Board of Respiratory Care and enacting a Respiratory Care Act.
• 2012: In April, 2012 the Office of Regulation in the State of Michigan recommends the de-regulation of the respiratory therapy profession.