A simple analogue of lung mechanics.

A model of the chest and lungs can be easily constructed from a bottle of water, a balloon, a syringe, a rubber stopper, glass and rubber tubing, and clamps. The model is a more exact analogue of the body than the classic apparatus of Hering in two respects: 1) the pleurae and intrapleural fluid are represented by water rather than air, and 2) the subatmospheric "intrapleural" pressure is created by the elasticity of the "lung" (balloon) rather than by a vacuum pump. With this model, students can readily see how the lung is inflated and deflated by movements of the "diaphragm and chest" (syringe plunger) and how intrapleural pressures change as this is accomplished.