The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-04-18
'sHUT YOUR MOUTH

bhG1 HOtk MOCTH."
ETARILIsG NEW TREATIsE-NDIAN PHYSIOLOGY
CAL KIsDoM-csruEKs OF SLEEPING WITH THE
MOUTH oPES-How TO EFFECT REFORM.
"Shut Your Mouth" is the emphatic and not
overpolite injunction which is made conspicuous
on he cover of singular volume by George Cat
lin. he has during all of q long life pursued the
study of ethnogrsphy among the native races OF
North and South America; has described them
wi rere fidelity; has painted hundreds Of repre-
tentative saw ges more faithfully than any other
man, and has Ped particular attention to their
sanitary system.
One thing at least he has laal aed from these
children of nstlre, and that Is the immense i'm.
por-ance of keeping ones mouth shut. 10 gen.
era rsnsa ne eli recognize this fact theoretically.
Mr.. Catln, however restricts his observations to
the physiological advantages of shutting the
mou- b, particularly during sleep, and brings out
some startling truths. He says:
There 's no animal in nature excepting man
that sleeps with the mouth open; and with man.
kind believe the habit which is not natural, is
generally confined to civilized communities, where
he is nurtured and raised amidst enervating lux
uries ard unnatural warmth. where the habit is
essily contracted, but carried and prscticed with
great danger to life in different attudes aud diff
fe ert elm ates; and in sudden changes Of temper
azure. even in his own house.
The physical conformation Of man alone az
'lrds Sufficient proof that this is q habit agsns.
instinct, and that he was made, like other AMI.
mas, 20 sleep with his mouth shut supplying the
lungs with vi cir through the nostrils the natu.
Ial ctanDe's; and strong Confederation of this
fact 9 to be met with amongst .he North Ameri-
cen Indians, who stictly adhere to Natures law in
this respect, and show the beneficial results in
heir fine end manly forms, and in exemption from
rental end physicel diseases.
And I mo her place:
1t requires no more than common sense to per
ceive that mankind, like all the brute creations,
fhor'd close their mouths when they clo1e their
in ell md hraa Nha 1Oh hair "a
which were evidently made for that purpose in.
stead Of dropping the under jaw and drawing an
ov; rdraroht Of cold cir directly on the lungs
II ough the mouth; and that in the middle Of
the night, when the fir 3 have gone down and the
cir is at IL coolest tempe-ature-.he system at
rest and the lurgs the least able to wi hstsnd the
shock.
For those who have suffered with weakness Of
the lungs or other diseases of the chest, there
needs no proof of this fsct and of those, If any,
who are yet 'ncredulous. Ii only requires that they
should take candle in their hand and look at their
friends esleep and snoring; or. with the night
mare, (or without it, with their eyes shut and
Their mouths wide open-the very picture Of d's-
tress, of suffering, of idiocy and death; when ma
.tuie designed that they should be smiling in the
sothDg and invigoratihg forgetfulness Of the IA
gOcs and anxieties of the day, which are >dis.-
fsoEiDg into piee surable and dreamy shadows of
q resHies gone by"
He holds shat. TIE air which enters the lungs is
q. Nerent from fbat whjcn en- srs the nostri's as
Nd we Or is diferen from Re water in an or
S;say este N or frog-pond. The srresting and
fe-r;ssDg proceEs CT the nose upon the atmos-
8herJ with IL poisonous ingredients p,G1'pg
.hr6ugh it, though less percepibe. is not less DIS
L1ct, nor less important than that of the mouth,
which stops cherry stones and fsh-bones from en-
When awake men can breath through the mouth
with comparative impunity. but when he relaxes
all OF bis energies in he repose Of Sleep and his
powers of resistance are Swing way to its quieting
influence, If he gradually opens his mouth to J
widest strain he let's the enemy in that chils his
luDgs-that racfs his brein-that parayzes his
somach-thas gives him the night-mare-brings
him imps end fairies that dance before him during
The night; and during the following day headache
-too'hache rheumatism = dyspepsia, and the
govt.
The author thus gives bis own experiences;
had been, like too many of the world, too
tenderly carcssed in my infancy and chidhafr.
the over-kindness OF an sffectonate mo- he,
cruelty or thoughtfulness enough to corand - "
close my mouth in my sleeping houvb,is I- III,
through my boyhood,, thinking tn red NJ 10 ~
asleep was doing well enough, anA~t J 1910 "
grow up under that abominable custom =. a,
ing much Of the time, with the mouth VIZ 1vPoni
and which practice l thoughtlessly carrie. u.o
manhood, with nightmare and snoring aud 81
other results; and at last (as discovered just In
time TO my life) to the banks of the Missouri,
where was nightly drawing the deadly drsughs
of cold eir with all its poisonous malaria, through
my mouth into my lungs.
Waking many times during the night. and finding
myself in this painful condition, and suffering dur
ing the succeeding day with Inflammation land
sometimes bleediDg) Of the lungs. became fully
convinced Of the danger of the habit, and resolved
TO overcome it, which eventually did, only by
sternness OF resolution and perseverance,, deter
mining through the day to keep my teeth and my
lips firmly closed, except when 1t was necessary
to open them and Strengthening this determine
tion as matter Of life and death, at the last mo-
ment of eonsciousnes!, while entering into sleep.
Ill ali 1-ax Az
relief began to feel from partial correction of
the habit, / was encouraged to continue in the
unrelsxed application OF my remedy, until | at
length completely conquered an insduous enemy
stion and evidently fast hurryiug me to the grave.
Finding myself so evidently relieved from the
painful and alarming results Of habit which
had recoected to have been brought from my
boyhood, became forciby struck with the GUS
tom had often observed land to which had be-
fore alluded, OF the Indian women, pressing to-
gether the lips Of their sleeping infants for which
could not, at first, imagine the motive but which
was now sugg sted to me in manner which / |
could not misuDderstand; and appealing TO them |
for the object Of so, apparently cruel a mode, |
was soon made TO understand, both by their wo- |
men and their medicine men, that il was done "to |
insure their good looks and prol0ng their lives;"
and by looking into their communities, and con- |
trssting their sanitary condition with the bills of |
mortality among the civilized races, / am ready |
to admit the j1stness of their reply and am fully |
convinced of the advantages those ignoront races |
have over Us IN this respect not from being ahead
Of Us, but from being behind Us, and consequently |
not so far departed from Natures wise and proyi |
dent regulations as to lose the benefit of them.
We wish that We could give the amusing wood |
cut illustrations which add to the impressiveness
Of the following
Watch your little brothers and sisters, or little
innocent payfellows, when asleep with their |
mouths strained open, and observe the painful |
of their faces, their nervous agita. |
tation, the unusual beating Of their hearts, the |
twitching Of their flesh and the cords of their |
necks and throats and your own reason will tell |
you that they do not enjoy such sleep. And, on |
the other hand, what pictures of innocence and |
are those who are quietly sleeping |
with their mouths firmly shut and their teeth |
closed, smiling as they ave enjoying their natural |
repose! II you will, for q few moments, shut |
FOUR eyes and let your under jaw fall down. as il |
sometimes does in your sleep, you will soon see |
how painful the over.draft of cold air on the lungs
becomes even in the daytime, when all your ener. /
yies sre 10 action 10 relieve you. and you will in
fantly perceive the mischief that such a mode of /
breathing might DO in the night, when every
in hoIu L