be due to an increase in the underlying causes of bronchiectasis. History René Laennec, the man who invented the stethoscope, used his invention to first discover bronchiectasis in 1819. The disease was researched in greater detail by Sir William Osler, one of the four founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital, in the late 1800s. It is suspected that Osler himself died of complications from undiagnosed bronchiectasis. His biographies mention that he had frequent severe chest infections for many years. The term "bronchiectasis" comes from the Greek words bronkhia (meaning "airway") and ektasis (meaning "widening"). References External links Chronic lower respiratory diseases Congenital disorders of respiratory system Wikipedia medicine articles ready to translate Wikipedia emergency medicine articles ready to translate