Re: surface area of lungs vs. skin

Date: Thu Apr 2 09:06:55 1998
Posted By: Bruce Lobitz, M.D., Emergency Medicine, Aiken Regional Medical Center
Area of science: Anatomy
ID: 890423113.An

Message:


The numbers you gave in your question sound about right, although I could not 
find any precise numbers in my textbooks.  The surface area of the lungs is 
vastly greater than that of the skin.  Remember that the lungs are made of 
millions of small grape cluster-like groups called alveoli.  This is where 
oxygen exchange between the air and the blood takes place.

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