Spirometry, derived from the Latin words SPIRO (to breathe) and METER (to measure), is a medical test which provides diagnostic information to assess a patient's lung function. The spirometer was originally invented in the 1840's by John Hutchinson an English surgeon.

How long has the spirometry been around?

The first attempt to measure pulmonary volumes goes as far back as the second century, when Galen (Claudius Galenus of Pergamo, A.D. 129–circa 200–216), the famous Greek physician, tried to determine respiratory volume by having a child breathe into a bladder.

When was the incentive spirometer invented?

The first documented report of incentive spirometry (IS) as a treatment technique appears to be that of Van de Water et al (Van de Water 1972).