The long road to Ithaca: a physiologist's journey

It was an honor to be asked to deliver the Walter B. Cannon Lecture during the 2024 American Physiological Summit meeting. Dr. Cannon served as president of the American Physiological Society from 1914-1916. He coined the term "fight or flight" to describe an animal's response to threats and the concept of Homeostasis. He was the consummate physician-scientist, an outstanding mentor and teacher, a prolific writer, and a humanitarian. The title of my lecture is based on a poem entitled "Ithaca," written by the Greek poet C. P. Cavafy, who recounts the 10 yr travels of Ulysses, from Troy to his home, Ithaca. Odysseus had to overcome many obstacles to survive this long journey. Like Odysseus, I encountered myriad of professional and health problems. But, I also have experienced the thrill of contributing to scientific knowledge, the satisfaction of watching my mentees develop into independent scientists, the excitement of teaching respiration physiology to medical and professional students, and the pleasure of being of service to my discipline by serving as Editor of the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology and of Physiological Reviews. During my career, I have been interested in identifying the basic mechanisms by which oxidant gases and pathogens damage the blood gas barrier resulting in acute and chronic lung injury. In this brief review, I summarize the results of current studies implicating free heme as a major mediator of acute lung injury and our efforts to develop recombinant forms of human hemopexin, as a countermeasure.