"[1] Originally, as narrated in a recent history of the field,[2] physiology focused primarily on human beings, in large part from a desire to improve medical practices.
When physiologists first began comparing different species it was sometimes out of simple curiosity to understand how organisms work but also stemmed from a desire to discover basic physiological principles.
Comparative physiologists often study organisms that live in "extreme" environments (e.g., deserts) because they expect to find especially clear examples of evolutionary adaptation.
As another example, giraffe have been studied because of their long necks and the expectation that this would lead to specializations related to the regulation of blood pressure.
[citation needed] A number of scientific societies feature sections on comparative physiology, including: Knut Schmidt-Nielsen (1915–2007) was a major figure in vertebrate comparative physiology, serving on the faculty at Duke University for many years and training a large number of students (obituary).