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Re: pulmonary surfactant



At 09:57 12/2/99 -0800, Leigh wrote:
If the alveoli were to behave like soap bubbles (with surface
tension independent of area) then they would be unstable, and
that instability would be in such a direction as to collapse
them completely, just like the smaller bubble in your example.///
Leigh


There is a brief discussion of a comparable topic in one of Gordon's
splendid books on structures and materials: this compares the action
of latex tube with blood vessels. Under increasing pressure latex
balloons into an aneurism.

The desired effect (which is normally achieved in arterial tissue) is
a distributed increase in cross section. The mechanism is justified in
similar terms, as an anisotropic variation in elastic properties.


brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>
Altus OK