Abstract
The application of cigarette smoke to lung extracts which are considered to represent the alveolar lining caused a decrease in surface tension and an increase in surface compressibility. Lung extracts prepared from rats which have been exposed to smoke in life differ from those of nonexposed animals in having lower surface tension and increased surface compressibility. These changes would be expected to decrease the efficacy of surface forces in stabilizing the alveoli. These findings may relate to the pathogenesis of pulmonary emphysema.

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