High Life

The history of high-altitude physiology and medicine is such a rich and colorful topic that it is surprising no one has undertaken a comprehensive account before. From the early balloonists to various high-altitude expeditions, culminating in the great feat of climbing Mount Everest without supplementary oxygen, the basic biological challenge of hypoxia has underpinned the human experience at high altitude. Of key importance in several areas of medicine including pulmonology, critical care, anesthesiology and cardiology, this topic is also of general interest to other life sciences such as biology and ecology, because hypoxia is encountered by many organisms throughout the animal kingdom.
High Life covers the topic from its earliest beginnings with the Greeks to the last two or three years, and highlights many geographical locations, such as China, Japan, India and Russia. Including 185 illustrations, over 800 references, and three appendixes detailing the chronology of main events, databases of high-altitude publications, tables of high-altitude locations, a list of classical books on the topic and narratives of classical and modern high-altitude expeditions, this book is a comprehensive reference text which should be of value to anyone interested in high altitude and hypoxia.

Texte du rabat

HE history of high-altitude physiology and medicine is such a rich and T colorful topic that it is perhaps surprising that no one has undertaken a comprehensive account before. There are so many interesting ramifications, from the early balloonists to the various high-altitude expeditions, culminating in the great saga of climbing Mt. Everest without supplementary oxygen. Underpinning this variety is the basic biological challenge of hypoxia and the ways organisms adapt to it, a subject that is of key importance in medicine and many other life sciences, encountered as it is by organisms throughout the animal kingdom. I hope that this book will be of interest to a wide range of people, from biologists and physiologists to pulmonologists and others who manage patients with hypoxemia. The topic should also appeal to those who love the mountains including trekkers, skiers, climbers, and mountaineers. The book begins with a short introductory chapter to set the scene for the non-scientist. It then follows a general chronological sequence beginning with the Greeks and ending with contemporary events. In some places, however some compromises have been made to group together areas of related interest. For example, in Chapter 4 the controversy about oxygen secretion is traced from the 1870s to the 1930s and includes the Anglo-American Pikes Peak Ex­ pedition of 1911 and the International High-Altitude Expedition to Cerro de Pasco, Peru during 1921-1922. It makes sense to consider these events together.

Contenu

1. From Classical Greece to the End of the Seventeenth Century.- 2. Eighteenth Century to Paul Bert.- 3. Early High-Altitude Stations and Field Studies.- 4. Oxygen Transfer by Lung and Blood, and the Controversy on Oxygen Secretion.- 5. History of High-Altitude Diseases.- 6. Early Expeditions to Mt. Everest.- 7. Permanent Residents of High Altitude.- 8. World War II.- 9. First Ascents of Mt. Everest.- 10. Studies in the 1960s and 1970s.- 11. Studies at Extreme Altitude.- 12. Other Recent High-Altitude Studies.- Appendix 1. Chronology of Main Events.- Appendix 2. Sources of Information and Bibliographies.- Appendix 3. Some Important Books in the History of High-Altitude Physiology and Medicine.- Notes.- References.