Atmospheric Nitrogen and Its Role in Modern Medicine

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Abstract
IN THE AIR that surrounds us and which we inspire with every breath, four molecules out of five are nitrogen, since this element constitutes approximately 80% of our atmosphere. In spite of this fact, the interest in this gas has been so limited that N2 has been called in jest "the stepchild among respiratory gases,"1 and received just as much attention as the name indicates. Perhaps the blame for this attitude can be placed upon the shoulders of the first scientists to isolate the gas, since instead of extolling the importance of his discovery, Rutherford in 1772 proposed for it the name of "mephitic gas" (mephitic meaning poisonous or noxious) while Lavoisier, four years later, having described nitrogen as a simple element, suggested the name "azote," ie, that cannot sustain life. Under these conditions, later biologists can hardly be castigated for having developed, implicitly or explicitly, the idea