14 DAY TRIAL // As Time magazine puts it, Pope Francis I is a pioneer in more regards than one: his having just one lung is one of them.
According to the publication, the newly elected Pope, who also happens to be the first Pope from South America, has only one lung because he had the other removed when he was a teen.
“It was probably a pretty bad infection, and maybe even an abscess, that might have caused him to bleed,” Dr. John Belperio, associated professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, says.
“If he were bleeding a lot in the lung, the only thing to do is to resect the lung, take it out, to stop the bleeding,” Belperio explains.
Today’s antibiotics would have prevented such a drastic measure, but they were not available at the time.
Francis I is 76 years old and is a Cardinal from Buenos Aires. His real name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and his being elected Pope was a surprise to most.
His having just one lung is not considered an impediment in performing his new duties.