- Carlo Forlanini
Carlo Forlanini (1847-1918) was an Italian physician. In 1870 he earned his medical degree from the
University of Pavia , and afterwards joined the staff of the Ospedale Maggiore inMilan . Later he was an instructor at the Universities of Turin (1884) andPavia (1899). In 1900 he became a professor of clinical medicine in Pavia. Today the "Carlo Forlanini Institute" inRome is named in his honor. He was the older brother ofaviation pioneerEnrico Forlanini (1848-1930).Carlo Forlanini was a specialist regarding
tuberculosis andrespiratory disorders. He realized that the difficulty in curing pulmonary tuberculosis was due to thelungs being in a constant state of expansion and reduction, and when this action is removed, the "static lung" would be similar to other visceral organs, and from that moment the healing process could take place. In the 1880s he devised an artificialpneumothorax for therapeutic treatment ofpulmonary tuberculosis . Basically, this apparatus introduced air into the lung by a special sterilized needle connected to a watermanometer for accurate measurement of pressure and volume.References
* [http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/reprint/14/1/138.pdf American College of Chest Physicians]
* [http://www.museudelamedicina.cat/eng/exposicions/forlanini.htm Forlanini's Artificial Pneumothorax]
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