Pneumothorax historical perspective

Overview
Jean Marc Gaspard Itard, a student of Rene Laennec, first recognised pneumothorax in 1803, and Laennec himself described the full clinical picture in 1819.

Prior to the advent of anti tuberculous medications, iatrogenic pneumothoraces were intentionally given to tuberculosis patients in an effort to collapse a lobe, or entire lung around a cavitating lesion. This was known as 'resting the lung'.