Throwback Thursday: Take a deep breath 

Donald F. Egan, MD, a pioneer in modern respiratory care, became the first medical director of the Inhalation Therapy Department in 1961. The department, later called Respiratory Therapy, had 11 employees at the time.

Shortly after coming to Yale, Dr. Egan established the Inhalation Therapy School, which later evolved into the Quinnipiac University Respiratory Care program. These were among the first departments and schools of their kind to be established within a U.S. hospital. In this photo, Dr. Egan, right, and an inhalation therapist assist a patient with a Bird Mark series ventilator. To learn more about the history of respiratory therapy at YNHH, visit the Archives display in the York Street Campus East Pavilion Atrium through Nov. 20.

For questions, comments or donations of items, contact the hospital Archives, 203-688-5450 or [email protected].

Photo courtesy of the YNHH Archives