BREATH TAKING

Brains and hearts preoccupy science writers, so this rare exploration of lungs fills a need.

Pulmonologist Stephen cannot conceal his enthusiasm for his favorite organ as he mixes evolution, medical history, autobiography, and vivid stories of patients with a skillful account of how lungs operate and how we might take better care of them. Latecomers on the evolutionary scene, lungs arrived well after hearts and brains, when fish began leaving the ocean about 400 million years ago. They have a dual purpose: “bringing oxygen in while keeping everything else out. The latter objective is almost impossible…since we take more than fifteen thousand breaths a day.” Along with life-giving oxygen, we inhale waste from factories, vehicles, heating systems, stoves, farms, and construction sites; we also sometimes add toxins that make us feel good. Heart disease and cancer have been declining for decades in the U.S. “In 2008,” writes the author, “respiratory diseases in the United States for the first time replaced stroke as the third-deadliest disease.” Stephen’s expert review of his field’s diseases reveals that lung cancer remains by far the deadliest malignancy. Almost universal in the 19th century and nearly conquered in the 20th, tuberculosis is on the rise and resistant to most antibiotics. Allergies and asthma make up an ongoing epidemic while lung transplants, miraculous when they succeed, are still a work in progress. “The greatest medical story never told” may be that of cystic fibrosis: Before World War II, it was fatal in infancy, but a cure is on the horizon. CF, he writes, “brings together the three main themes of this book—the central importance of the lungs, the courage of patients afflicted by a devastating illness, and the importance of hard work, intelligent observation, and collaboration in the advancement of medical science.” Stephen manages to include Covid-19 but mostly as a lesson in how it spreads; masks help. Regarding yoga, mindfulness, and breathing exercises, the author delivers unimpressive studies but inspiring anecdotes.

Valuable popular science.