Breath-Taking

Lungs are the organs that tie us to the air around us, and they may also reveal how our species came to be and what lies ahead for it. Each year an average person draws in roughly 7.5 million breaths, and about 600 million over a lifetime, exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide with each one. Most people give little thought to this process until an illness leaves them struggling to breathe.

Pulmonologist Michael Stephen traces how oxygen first came to be part of Earth's atmosphere and how breathing itself evolved. He looks at the healing effects of deliberate breathing and at its spiritual potential, and he explains in plain language how the lungs connect with the immune system and with society as a whole.

Stephen also recounts the long history of lung research, from the work of Galen in antiquity to the surgeons who pioneered lung transplantation. Woven through this history are personal accounts, including the urgent efforts to help his own son's lungs function at birth and his work today with patients who have cystic fibrosis.

The book considers how lungs face growing dangers. Asthma is more common than ever, rising stress wears on respiratory health, and the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how fragile the lungs can be. Written for people living with lung disease and for anyone curious about the body, it aims to offer encouragement along with a clearer view of why healthy lungs matter to everyone.