Little is known about respiratory health of the first inhabitants of Canada, as their tradition was oral, and it is necessary to observe the arrival of the Europeans to learn more about it. They were generally considered in good health, before being almost completely decimated by the terrible epidemics of cholera, influenza, measles, scarlet fever, smallpox, typhoid fever, and yellow fever brought by the Europeans. The first descriptions of pulmonary diseases affecting the lungs were those associated with scurvy, caused by vitamin C deficiency, among Jacques Cartier's companions during his second trip to Canada in 1535. Among French immigrants in “Nouvelle-France” (Quebec) in the 17th century, respiratory diseases seemed common, although establishing a diagnosis for a specific condition was not easy at that time, with caregivers limited knowledge and lack of tests to assess patients. In his book, Au temps de la petite vérole, Rénald Lessard reports the writings of one of the first doctors of the colony, Jean-François Gaultier, who relates problems of asthma, angina, catarrh, influenza, colds, and empyema observed in these first comers. We find the mentions of pneumonia, also called peripneumonia, “pulmonie,” “stomach cold,” or “chest exhaustion,” in the middle of the 18th century. There are also reports of “pleurésies” (pleurisy), mentioned as early as 1687; numerous cases are reported in 1708 at the Hôtel Dieu de Québec, the first hospital in North America. Sore throats, whooping coughs, “esquinancies” (the equivalent of the word “angine,” meaning sore throat), and “flux de poitrine” were also common. These problems predominately occurred during the winter season. Pulmonary tuberculosis, so named since the middle of the 19th century, was known as “phthisie” or “consomption pulmonaire.” The more severe health problems were, however, not only respiratory but mainly related to deadly epidemics such as “fièvre pourpre” (typhus) and the measles of 1687 as well as the smallpox epidemic of 1702–1703. When the “Nouvelle-France” was surrendered in 1763, physicians from England, Ireland, and Scotland, mostly military surgeons as in the French regime, took over health care, particularly in large cities. The following text describes the early days of respiratory medicine in Canada, particularly in what would become the province of Quebec, and describes the general state of medicine, caregivers, and treatments of that time.