In 1837, Dr. William Stokes became the first person to use the term “chronic bronchitis.” To him, chronic bronchitis was the inflammation of the mucus membrane which caused the cells to dilate, making it harder to breathe. Stokes believed that some form of bronchitis was evident in nearly all diseases of the lungs (asthma, pneumonia, etc.) Enter John Hutchinson in 1846, the very man that invented the spirometer. Despite believing that his device was limited in its use, it became (and still is!) the prominent tool used in diagnosing and treating many lung diseases.