Marc Thiriet

2014

Living organisms react to environmental changes and maintain the stability of the internal medium by regulation systems (homeostasis introduced by C. Bernard). In addition, humans adapt the homeostasis level (heterostasis) to the environment (e.g., sea level vs. mountain and desert vs. icy region). Breathing and blood circulation are anatomically and functionally coupled to deliver oxygen to the body’s tissues and remove carbon dioxide that results from cell metabolism (Fig. 0.1). Two apparatus—the respiratory and cardiovascular systems—operate in series, interacting at the level of the alveolocapillary barrier.