Timeline of respiratory therapy

Ancient period

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

1771: (US) Carl Scheele (1742–1786) makes "fire air" (oxygen) by heating magnesium oxide. His findings are published in June 1774.
1774: (US) Joseph Priestley (1733–1804), credited with the discovery of oxygen, publishes his work on "dephlogisticated air" oxygen 3 months after a report by Carl Scheele.

1816: (US) Rene T.H. Laennec (1776–1856) invents the stethoscope for chest auscultation and lays the foundation for modern pulmonology with his book Diseases of the Chest.
1860: (US) Bunsen and Kirchhoff invent the spectrometer.^[1]
1860: (US) Stokes and Hoppe-Seyler demonstrate the oxygen transport function of hemoglobin.^[1]
1897: (DE) Gustav Killian performs the first bronchoscopy in Germany.
1899: (US) Dr. Thomas Willis defines specific Asthma symptoms for diagnosis.^[2]

1908: (US) 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.^[3]

1928: Phillip Drinker develops the "iron lung" negative pressure ventilator.^[3]
1935: Carl Matthes invented the first noninvasive oximeter employing an ear probe.^[1]

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

1961: (US) Sister Mary Yvonne Jenn becomes the first Registered Respiratory Therapist^[3]
1961: Metaproterenol, the beta-2 bronchodilator is introduced.^[3]
1964: (CA) The Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists (CSRT) is founded in 1964 as the Canadian Society of Inhalation Therapy Technicians.
1970: (US) In 1970 The Board of Schools of Inhalation Therapy Technicians became the Joint Review Committee for Respiratory Therapy Education (JRCRTE).
1971: (US) Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is introduced by Gregory.^[3]
1971: (US) The journal Inhalation Therapy is renamed to Respiratory Care.
1974: (US) The two US credentialing programs merge into a single credentialing organization called the National Board for Respiratory Therapy (NBRT) in 1974.
1980: (US) President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the first Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Week. (July 22)

1982: (US) California passes the first modern licensure law governing the profession of respiratory care.
1982: (US) In 1982 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Respiratory Care Week.
1986: (US) In 1986 the NBRT is renamed the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC).^[4]
1998: (US) The JRCRTE evolves into the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).

2000: (US) Respiratory Care journal is accepted into Index Medicus and its online counterpart, the MEDLINE service.
2004: (US) 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: (US) On December 14, 2010, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) grants accreditation to the Sleep Disorders Specialty Examination. The CRT-SDS and RRT-SDS.^[5]
2011: (US) In July, 2011 the NBRC creates the Adult Critical Care Specialty for Registered Respiratory Therapists (RRT-ACCS).
2011: (US) 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.^[6]
2012: (US) In April, 2012 the Office of Regulation in the State of Michigan recommends the de-regulation of the respiratory therapy profession.^[7] The report, seemingly with its head in the sand as regards respiratory care, concluded de-regulation would "eliminate unnecessary oversight [and remove regulation providing] no value to the citizens of Michigan."

^ ^a ^b ^c Severinghaus JW, Astrup PB (1986). "History of blood gas analysis. VI. Oximetry". J Clin Monit. 2 (4): 270–88. doi:10.1007/BF02851177. PMID 3537215. S2CID 1752415.
^ March 25, 1899 edition of The Lancet, "Bronchitis, Pulmonary Emphysema, and Asthma"
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ward JJ, Helmholtz HF: Roots of the respiratory care profession. In Burton GG, Hodgkin JE, Ward JJ, editors: Respiratory care: a guide to clinical practice, ed 4, Philadelphia, 1997, Lippincott.
^ [1] American Association of Respiratory Care
^ Sleep Disorders Specialty Examination Receives NCCA Accreditation Press Release, http://nbrc.org
^ "Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 466D-RespiratoryTherapists" http://hawaii.gov/dcca/pvl/hrs/HRS466D.pdf; July 2011
^ "Office of Regulatory Reinvention Issues Recommendations to Deregulate 18 Occupations; Eliminate 9 Boards" (Press release). Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. April 16, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved April 21, 2012. The Office of Regulatory Reinvention Made 63 Recommendations to Governor Snyder for Improving Michigan's Occupational Licensing Regulations