Timeline of respiratory therapy

Ancient period

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

1982: California passes the first modern licensure law governing 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.

2000: [Respiratory Care (journal)|Respiratory Care journal|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. The report, seemingly with its head in the sand as regards respiratory care, concluded de-regulation would "eliminate unnecessary oversight no value to the citizens of Michigan."