To allow theoretical calculations of regional tracer kinetics, the authors introduce an electrical circuit model of the lung which gives rise to a gas clearance curve in agreement with the **1**3**3Xe gamma camera data. The model is used to calculate single breath ventilation as a function of washout parameters. These calculations are ultimately compared, by least-squares analysis, to ventilation data for young and old normal classes and patients having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).