Developed during the 1920s, the iron lung was invented to help individuals with polio breathe after their torso and abdominal muscles ceased to work. Improvements to the iron lung were made throughout the 20th century, but the almost-obsolete hospital device still looks a lot like a machine used in interrogations or a cruel medical tool. For many, the iron lung's lifesaving benefits were - and, for a few, still are - worth the trouble of living in a cylindrical breathing machine.