Analyse : Chapter 23 : The new observatory and alpine station on Monte Rosa (Regina Margherita).

During the long twentieth century, explorers went in unprecedented numbers to the hottest, coldest, and highest points on the globe. Taking us from the Himalaya to Antarctica and beyond, Higher and Colder presents the first history of extreme physiology, the study of the human body at its physical limits. Each chapter explores a seminal question in the history of science, while also showing how the apparently exotic locations and experiments contributed to broader political and social shifts in twentieth-century scientific thinking. Unlike most books on modern biomedicine, Higher and Colder focuses on fieldwork, expeditions, and exploration, and in doing so provides a welcome alternative to laboratory-dominated accounts of the history of modern life sciences. Though centered on male-dominated practices—science and exploration—it recovers the stories of women’s contributions that were sometimes accidentally, and sometimes deliberately, erased. Engaging and provocative, this book is a history of the scientists and physiologists who face challenges that are physically demanding, frequently dangerous, and sometimes fatal, in the interest of advancing modern science and pushing the boundaries of human ability.

This book brings the neurosciences to operational and clinical aviation medicine. It is concerned with the physiology and pathology of circadian rhythmicity, orientation, hypotension and hypoxia, and with disorders of the central nervous system relevant to the practice of aviation medicine. The chapters on circadian rhythmicity and orientation deal with the impaired alertness and sleep disturbance associated with desynchrony and with the effects of linear and angular accelerations on spatial awareness. Hypotension and hypoxia cover cerebral function during increased gravitational stress, clinical aspects of exposure to acute hypoxia, the mild hypoxia of the cabin of transport aircraft, adaptation and acclimatization to altitude and decompression at extreme altitudes and in space. Disorders of particular significance to the practice of aviation medicine such as excessive daytime sleepiness, epilepsy, syncope, hypoglycaemia, headache and traumatic brain injury are covered, while neuro-ophthalmology, the vestibular system and hearing also receive detailed attention. The potentially adverse effects of the aviation environment and of disorders of the nervous system are brought together, and the text covers the neurological examination as it relates to aircrew and explores current management and therapeutics. The Neurosciences and the Practice of Aviation Medicine is an essential work for those involved in the practice of aviation medicine where familiarity with the effects of the aviation environment on the nervous system and understanding the pathophysiology of relevant clinical disorders are of prime concern. The authors from leading centres of excellence are physiologists concerned with the aviation environment and physicians involved in the day-to-day practice of medicine. They bring to this authoritative text wide experience and expertise in both the experimental and clinical neurosciences.

A weekly review of politics, literature, theology, and art.