: He proved for the first time that blood flow is strikingly unequal due to gravity.
: His team built a laboratory at 6,300 meters, carrying in tons of scientific equipment via remote trails. John B. West, Respiratory physiology
: This led to his famous "West Zones," which explain how gravity creates different regions of ventilation and perfusion within the upright lung. 2. The 1981 Everest Expedition: Life at the Limit : He proved for the first time that
In the late 1950s, while at Hammersmith Hospital in London, West gained access to one of the first medical cyclotrons. He used —a radioactive isotope with a half-life of only two minutes—to track how blood flowed through the human lung. John B
John B. West is often called the "summit" of respiratory physiology, not just for his academic brilliance but for literally taking his laboratory to the top of the world. His career is a rare blend of and extreme physical exploration . 1. The Radioactive Breakthrough
: They recorded the first-ever physiological measurements on the summit. They found that climbers' bodies hyperventilate so drastically that the carbon dioxide in their lungs drops to nearly impossible levels (around 7.5 mmHg), which is what actually allows oxygen to reach the blood.
: West himself had never climbed before joining Sir Edmund Hillary on an earlier 1960 expedition, showing his dedication to "living" his science. 3. Teaching and the "Little Red Book"