1890s, Advertisement, Drawing, Spirometer Spirometer, Deyton Radial, 1890 February 15, 2014 Richard Johnston Leave a comment From The Esoteric, Volume 3, Number 12, Advertising page at the front of the issue. There is no explanation how this device worked. At a guess, it appears as if the balance arm was placed in front of an individual’s lips and they blew on it.