There are two very important structures within the chest. The right lung, and the left lung. They are the foundational organs of the respiratory system, whose most basic function is to facilitate gas exchange from the environment into the bloodstream. In addition, the upper airways, larynx, pharynx and diaphragm all have an important part to play. Understanding how chest related symptoms manifest is crucial as this can provide helpful clues to underlying causes. The lungs only have a limited repertoire of ways to express pathology and dysfunction, namely dyspnoea, cough, wheeze and pleurisy. It is key therefore to use the history of respiratory dysfunction to establish the diagnosis of various disease states and consider whether this is due to pulmonary or extra-pulmonary disease (or both). The lungs are a primary location for a large proportion of human disease. Airways damage can be further classified into obstructive and restrictive deficits so don’t forget your spirometry interpretation and the relationships between FEV1 (forced expiratory volume) and FVC (fixed vital capacity).