In 1914, the first ‘mechanical lung’, developed by Charles Morgan Hammond, M.D., passed its first clinical test at Memphis City Hospital.

Hammond patented his cabinet respirator or artificial lungs, similar in design to the Woillez, having worked on it since 1905. Hammond’s mechanical lung passed its first clinical trial in 1912, saving more human lives by 1914. He improved on his models for the next 20 years, but for lack of commercial support, its production was limited to Tennessee.