Breathe Easy

The first modern and practical respirator was called the "iron lung" invented by Harvard medical researcher Philip Drinker and Louis Shaw in 1927. The inventors used an iron box and two vacuum cleaners.

By 1955, Forrest Bird perfected his Bird Universal Medical Respirator for cardiopulmonary care. It was the first mass-produced medical respirator and was sold under the tradename of the Bird Mark 7 Respirator.

• Medical Innovations