Throughout most of history the mortality rate of TBI was thought to be 100%.[5] However, in 1871 a healed TBI was noted in a duck that had been killed by a hunter, thus demonstrating that the injury could be survived, at least in the general sense.[6] This report, made by Winslow, was the first record in the medical literature of a bronchus injury.[15] In 1873, Seuvre made one of the earliest reports of TBI in the medical literature: a 74-year-old woman whose chest was crushed by a wagon wheel was found on autopsy to have an avulsion of the right bronchus.[15] Long-term survival of the injury was unknown in humans until a report was made of a person who survived in 1927.[5][6] In 1931, a report made by Nissen described successful removal of a lung in a 12-year-old girl who had had narrowing of the bronchus due to the injury.[15] Repair of TBI was probably first attempted in 1945, when the first documented case of a successful suturing of a lacerated bronchus was made.[6] Prior to 1950, the mortality rate was 36%; it had fallen to 9% by 2001;[3][15] this improvement was likely due to improvements in treatments and surgical techniques, including those for injuries commonly associated with TBI.[3]