Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-10-18
Lungs.

No organ in the body is 80 outrageously
interfered with as the lungs. The brain is
goaded with unnatural excitements, and the
stomach is overtasked and abused, but sys-
tematio pressure is not brought to bear upon
either of these organs from without. This
IL done to the lungs in the female, not only
preventing them from performing their full
function, but repressing their growth, SO
that they are often Of much lees volume
than they should be to compare with the
other organs Of the body. This lack of pro-
portion in the human machine, for so it may
be regarded, inevitably results in disorder,
just as it would in any machine made by
man, If some imnortant part we're made al
together too small for the other parts.
To appreciate the importance Of the lungs
as a part of the bodily machinery, let us oh
serve their function and the arrangements
for its proper performance. The function
of these organs is TO effect change in the
blood by means of pure air The blood that
returns to the heart from all parts of the
body must be sent to the lungs to be thus
aerated in order to fit it to go forth again to
the organ. If this were not done it would
carry death and destruction, instead of life.
and growth, wherever it goes. But how is
the blood aerated? Not by shaking it up
>
way of doing it, But the Creator has an
arrangement which is not thus rude and in.
effectual The lungs are a mass of minute
air cells. There are millions upon millions
ofthem Into these the air is fully intro
duced at every inspiration, and there acts
upon the blood in the vessels spread out up
on the walls ofthese cells, Of course through
very minute pores. You can see how deli
cate this organization must be. You can
also see how important it is that each cell
should have its full supply ofair in order to
perform its work.
Observe now the pains which have been
taken in the construction Of the chest to Sc
cure the free action of al thes, cail-laborato-
res, IA we may term them. There are no
organs that so distinctly proclaim in their
exterior arrangements that they must have
plenty of room as the organs within the
chest. A very elastic frame work is fur
nished composed partly of bones and partly
of cartilares. so that the chest may be fully
exnanded for the introduction of air into
the lungs The cavity of the chest is sep
nrsted from the cavity Of the abdomen be-
low by a large sheet of muscular substance.
called the diaphragm. attached all around
to the inside of the chest. This is arched
upward, making a membranous dome. and
it is chiefly by the fl ttening OF this down
ward that the cavity Of the chest is enlarg
ed causing the air to rush in through the
windpire ia fill out all the little air cells.
It's plain enough to any one that this ap
paratus is designed to have freedom of mo
tion, and that arrangement or dress shcuid
surely permit this. But fashion prescr,oes
smallness ot the waist in the female and 30
the chest is bceirt hrm'y IN rs lower part,
thus iimllng us eapaei.!, tna en pe,eo;ors oa,;on
the d'sphrsg.i ir"'h haV'us ',s aun aHs', s y.
ana SO cary ~ .n,S pressu,e .. pn" ~ Az" ohaS, s
Ss'fma.'o1.E ru'rueu' '"a. .,,,;,.oa .nu @
ana tne coh'a'neu oIrahs , az: ur' nj pc, ' ~.
10 a,.a,n any .nhs "no tneta ns W nces of
Ho,e,va nnsn. ,m WIZ" W. vii ip snnno.r @ tb ~ The
oo, oanao;,w of ,he lnn,s Is lessencd one third
ont less cells in the lunes than there should
be If then the other organs attain their
nsual size. with the ordinary rate of respi-
ration tbe acrotien Of the blood must be de.
fpctive to This amount Bnt this result does
not come in full. but is in part prevented by
onotber ;niurv which the system at large
sustains from tbe same source: for the re-
nres-ion of growth in the lungs. lcssening
Tho GENERAL vipor. renresses growth in all
tbn other narts. In such state of things
there is not as much blood in the body as
in vigorous condition, and therefore there
is not as much sent to the lungs to be AGRA
ted. Still, this general stinting OF growth
(for such it is) does not so regulate the PRO
portion between the organs as to prevent
embarrassment in the lungs, and this nature
seeks to remedy bv increased frequency in
respiration. for the tightly corseted lady
always breathes more quickly than ono
whose chest has its natural freedom.