Highlights of early pulmonary surfactant: Research from bench to clinic

Nowadays we know a great deal about the lung. We understand its major functions, how it achieves most of these, how it looks microscopically, and other physiological attributes such as that adequate amounts of pulmonary surfactant in the prematurely born infant are essential for lung function and consequently for life. In this review, we summarize highlights of the history, i.e. the journey of pulmonary surfactant discovery and how it moved from the lab bench to the patient's bedside.