The Spirometer was an invention of John Hutchinson. It was first reported in the Lancet in 1844. The new instrument was first presented at a meeting of the society of Arts on the 29th of May 1844. The results of nearly 1200 observations were reported, and Hutchinson was able to accurately predict lung volumes, which he described as follows;
Complemental air - now known as inspiratory reserve volume
Breathing air - now tidal volume
Reserve air - now expiratory reserve volume
Residual air - now residual volume.
