[100 years DGP -100 years of pneumology in Germany].

During the first half of its 100-year history, tuberculosis was predominant in the German Society of Pneumology (DGP). This led largely to the separation of pneumology from internal medicine, particularly in the universities. Since the 1960s, the spectrum of respiratory diseases has changed considerably. Asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and pneumonia today rank among the most widespread diseases. Numerous new diagnostic and therapeutic methods have induced dramatic changes in the field of pneumology. Today, pneumology, together with cardiology and gastroenterology, belongs to the major specialties of internal medicine. One of the most urgent tasks of the DGP is to improve the insufficient representation at German universities, and thus promote teaching and research in respiratory medicine.