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This lecture from The Royal Institution's 1975 Christmas Lectures series features Professor Heinz Wolff demonstrating how to measure the efficiency of the human body as an engine. In this 56-minute presentation, explore how the human body functions as a special internal combustion engine, converting food energy into mechanical work with approximately 20% efficiency. Learn about indirect calorimetry, a method of measuring energy expenditure by analyzing oxygen consumption rather than direct fuel consumption. Watch as Wolff compares human efficiency with that of a petrol-driven generator through practical demonstrations. This lecture is part of the "Signals from the Interior" series, which investigates how to examine the functioning of the human body non-invasively, applying engineering and physical principles to modern medicine. The presentation was recorded on December 28, 1975, as part of the Royal Institution's historic Christmas Lectures tradition.
