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In November of 1965, leading investigators from the fields of physiology, physical chemistry, and pediatrics met in London to present papers and to discuss the development of the lung. The papers presented at this symposium as well as the discussions which followed are compiled in this excellent current volume of the Ciba Foundation Symposia.
The articles in this volume deal with the development of the lung from the phylogenetic as well as the ontogenetic aspects of development. The function of the respiratory system is essentially to transfer gases (primarily oxygen and carbon dioxide) from the environment to specific intracellular sites and back again as well as to maintain hydrogen and hydroxyl ion homeostasis. In order to accomplish these functions, two pump systems are required; an external pump which must provide exchange of gases from the environment to the blood, and an internal pump system which must transfer the gas from