This book is intended for medical students, and is an excellent introduction to the fundamental principles of the physiology of respiration. It is short, simple, and assumes no previous knowledge of the subject. The figures and diagrams are particularly easy to read. The chapter subjects are: introductory definitions, gas laws, lung anatomy and mechanics, pulmonary circulation, blood-gas transport, diffusion of gases, ventilationperfusion ratio, pH homeostasis, regulation of ventilation, unusual environments (high altitudes, diving), and pulmonary function tests. There are 32 questions and 4 problems at the end of the book, as well as an appendix and a glossary. There are no references within the text, except for a few acknowledgments of diagrams taken from other sources. There is a selected bibliography consisting of 34 books or monographs and seven articles or book chapters.
Clinical applications of basic principles are occasionally mentioned, but the special features of respiratory physiology of the