[5] Subsequent editions, including the latest, preserve his legacy within the title, Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology.
Guyton instead demonstrated that it was the need of the body tissues for oxygen which was the true regulator of cardiac output.
The "Guyton Curves" which describe the relationship between right atrial pressure and cardiac output form the basis for understanding the physiology of circulation.
Suffering paralysis in his right leg, left arm, and both shoulders, he spent nine months in Warm Springs, Georgia, recuperating and applying his inventive mind to building the first motorized wheelchair controlled by a "joy stick", a motorized hoist for lifting patients, special leg braces, and other devices to aid the handicapped.
He retired as department chair in 1989 but continued as emeritus professor up until his death on April 3, 2003, in a car accident, less than one month after his first great-grandchild was born.
[3][10] His obituary notes that he triumphed over polio: He had a special ability to inspire people through his indomitable spirit", and "his courage in the face of adversity humbled us.
He built a hoist to lower himself into the "hole" beneath their house to repair the furnace and septic lines when calling a repairman seemed to be the only option to those who did not know him well.
His struggle to rise from his chair and walk to the podium for a lecture was moving, but the audience was always more impressed when he forcefully articulated his brilliant concepts.
[3] His obituary in The Physiologist journal, and Memoriam in the 11th edition of his book, are largely verbatim of each other, including as below: Arthur Guyton's research contributions, which include more than 600 papers and 40 books, are legendary and place him among the greatest figures in the history of cardiovascular physiology.