Lung Function: Assessment and Application in Medicine

The subject matter and literary style of this book are excellently characterized by its pithy titleLung Function. It is probably the most complete and concise account so far published devoted to this subject and the techniques available for its assessment. There are outstanding sections on the historical aspects of lung diseases; the subdivisions of the lung volumes; the distribution of ventilation and perfusion, particularly the differences in respiratory exchange rates and alveolar-toarterial nitrogen gradients; and an excellent discussion of factors that limit exercise. There are also reasonably good accounts of such subjects of recent investigative interest as the use of hyperbaric oxygenation, application of gas chromatographic and electrode techniques for respiratory gas analysis, the surface active properties of lung tissue, the effect of respiratory gas and hydrogen-ion concentration on the pulmonary circulation, and the use of radioactive gases to evaluate pulmonary function. In general, however, this book lacks the