The geologic history of China and its influence upon the Chinese people / by Eliot Blackwelder.
- Blackwelder, Eliot, 1880-1969.
- Date:
- 1914
Licence: In copyright
Credit: The geologic history of China and its influence upon the Chinese people / by Eliot Blackwelder. Source: Wellcome Collection.
70/76 (page 3656)
![The Place of Breathing Exercises. Only wlion for soino reason exercise is contra- iiulicated are l)rea1liing exercises of much service, and (hen their chief service is to conserve or increase the nicclianical mobility of the chest-wall so that the lungs may be able to rise to the occasion should occasion arise. In such a ease the deei)er breathing not only will keep the chest- wall limber, but will, by its .suction action, assist the circulation both of blood and lymph. In the ease of infants, crying is an excellent respiratory excrci.se, and in the case of adults singing and ])ublic speaking arc equally excellent. In consumption, breathing exercises are often recommended, but if the disease be arrested they are unnecessary, and if the disease be active’ they arc dangerous, for in active disease, as in any other inflammatory i^roccss, rest is desirable. As a preventive of consumption, however, breathing exercises may be useful, since they bring by suction more blood to the lung, and thus promote nutrition of the lung. Also in heart disease they^ be of some service, since they a.ssist the heart to propel the blood. As life advances, the chest measurement increases. This does not indicate increasing vitality'; it indicates a loss of elasticity in the lungs, much as wrinkles indicate a. loss of elasticity in the skin. A similar enlargement occurs in a diseased condition called eniiDhysema. Nose Breathing, There seems little doubt that man is meant to breathe through his nose as a rule, and seldom or never through ithe mouth. The nose is ingeniously contrived for respiratory purpo.ses. Each nostril has little, warm, moist pads (little, delicate lilms of bone covered with mucous membrane) in it to warm and moisten the air. Its pa.ssage is tortuous and broken, so as to catch dust and microbes. The cells which line it have little whips or hairs that flick dust and microbes back ; and finally the sticky mucus it secretes catches the microbes, and not only catches but kills them. However cold the air may be, it is warmed as it passes through the nose. If it be 14° F. below freezing, it is \yarmed to 77° F., and if it be 05° F. it is warmed to 88° F.. a temperature warmer than the air on a hot summer’s day. Again, however dusty the air may be, it is filtered free of du.st in the nasal passages; and however full of microbes it may be, it is practically free from microbes before it pa.s.scs down the throat. In one experiment it was found that in the inspired air there were 20,000 microbes, and in the exjiii’cd only 40. k’inally, however dry the air may h(‘, it is always one-third saturated with moisture when it roaches the hack of the throat. The nose is therefore obviously an important ])art of the res|)iratory mechanism, and if we do not ins))ire our hreath through it, hut breathe through the moulh. we run considerable risks. We breatluv {lerhaps, air that is too cold, jierhajis too dusty or too dry, or too microbic, and gj; bronchitis, or pneumonia, or eousumpti (Jreat care should be taken to teach childn/ breathe through their noses, and if they have any difliculty' in doing so they should be taken at once to a surgi'on. Fven when one is asleep one should breathe through the nose. Obstruction by Adenoids. The common- est cause of nasal obstruction in children i.s adpjinidij, a growth in the nose and throat. It blocks the nose to such an extent that the child cannot breathe adequately through it, and .so con- tracts the habit of constantly keeping its mouth open. Lack of oxygen stunts its growth and dulls its mental faculties. And not only does it suffer from lack of oxygen, but the adenoid ti.ssue block- ing the nose allows the accumulation and multipli- cation of microbes which secrete poisons that are absorbed by the tis.sues of the child and cause many evil consequences. The nose, in fact, which ought to protect the child from germs, harbours and a.ssists them. Often, as the child grows older, the adenoids disappear, but before they dis- apjjear jiermanent injury may have been done to the child’s constitution ; and the moment adenoids are discovered they should be removed by surgical operation. Another cau.se of nasal obstruction, found both in children and adults, is thickening of the mucous membrane of the little cushions, known as tin’binal bones, that assist in catching microbes, and that w'arm and moisten the air as it pas.ses through the nose. This produces not only obstruction, but also constant catarrh, and should always be dealt with surgically. Still a third cause of obstruction is a dis- placement of the partition between the two nostrils. This can be remedied by a simple surgical operation, which should be always done when such a condition is discovered. Impediments to Breathing. Women often impede their breathing by tight belts and corsets. The nature of the impediment compels them to breathe chiefly with the upper part of the chest; but, even apart from belts and corsets, it will be found that women naturally breathe with the upper j^arts of their chests. That is an adaptation to the function of child- bearing which, for a time, at least, precludes full abdominal breathing. There can be no doubt at all, however, that in extreme cases of tight corsets and tight belts a woman's breathing capacity is seriousl}' diminished, and alt her energies are .seriously reduced. The ])ressure is sometimes so great that it di.splaces the liver, and interferes with the action not only of the lungs, but also of the heart. However perfect and vigorous the breathing ap])aratus may be so far as the lungs and the lung- case and the lung-mu.scles are eoncci’ned, respira- tion cannot he satisfactory unless the heai-t ami blood be in good condition ; and shortm'.ss of breath is more often due to disorders of the heart and blood than of the lungs. An anaunic irl^may have ])erfectly good lungs, yet .she is ^JIh^o climb a few steps without iianting. 'slinpiJfNieeause her hlood is not able to carry enou gtKVX ygt'ii from the lungs to the tissues. UBRABY %7T^ RONALD ]\IACKIE](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29010317_0070.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
