Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-08-27
SHUT YOUR MOUTH.

While the reporter was IN the once OF a
we'll known physician of this city, the lat
ter asked him if he had noticed young
man who had just passed out. The repor-
ter answered that he had, because he
thought he had met the young man in
Brooklyn a short time before.
''That was probably another person suf-
fering from the same trouble" said the
doctor. "This is curious affliction. 1t is
more common than is supposed, occurs in
infancy, at manhood and at middle age,
and causes a great deal of suffering yet it
is a strange thing that the people in general
do not pay any attention to this affection
when occurring in their own families, in
spite of the manner in which it distorts the
face, until some actual disease sets in and
medical aid is necessary. Even the ply
sicians do not seem to reflect that this
trouble may cause any one Of large num-
ber of diseases affecting the system in gen.
eral.
"Why," continued the doctor, 'you can
tell one of these mouth-breathers anywhere
the moment you see them. From disease
of the nose his lips are retracted, his mouth
is continually open, his gums recede and
his teeth protrude, particularly those in the
upper Jaw, the flesh that forms the lower
part of the nostrils is diminished in size,
there are wrinkles at the outer edge of the
eyes, and deep lines run from the nostrils to
the angles of the mouth. These all give
the person either an expression of idiocy,
Stiffness or suffering.
"But the principal thing 1 want to call
your attention to-" said the doctor, ''is the
necessity. of parents and nurses watching
children when they fall asleep, and pre-
venting them from breathing with their
mouths open. In grown persons, diseases of
the nose and throat may lead to mouth
breathing and the resulting distortion OF
the features, but it is the other way with
children. They should be taught to use
the mouth for eating and speaking only,
and if they fall asleep with their mouths
open the lips should be gently pressed to-
gether. Thus may constitutional diseases,
such as spinal trouble, pigeon breast, and
perhaps, even rickets may be avoided, not
to speak of the affections Of the nose and
throat"
It seems that medical men are not the
only ones who have studied more or less
carefully the habit of mouth breathing.
George Catlin, the portrayor of American
Indian life and customs, claimed in one of
his works that it was known fact that
man can inhale mephistic air through the
nose in the bottom OF well without harm,
but if he opened his mouth to answer a
question or call for help, his lungs are clos
ed and he expires.
Catlin says: "I have seen poor Indian
woman in the wilderness lowering her ba-
by from her breast and pressing its lips to-
gether as it falls asleep" Among 10000
he found that deafness, dumbness, spinal
curvature and deaths from teething and
diseases of respiratory passages were al
most unknown. He attributes this exemp-
tion from these ailments, so very common
in civilized life, solely to the habit of
breathing through the nose.-N. Y. Uorld.
How LEE DIED.-Wm. Preston John
son, an eyewitness, says: On "Wednesday,
September %, 1870, the beginning of the
he was busy, as usual, with official work,
refusing the assistance Of which he some
times availed himself; and in the after
noon attended a vestry meeting Of Grace
Episcopal Church. He acted as chairman,
and enlivened the meeting with cheerful
conversation and interesting anecdotes.
The weather was chilly and damp, the
room not warmed, and Gen. Lee sat
with his military cloak thrown around his
shoulders. His last public act was emf
nently characteristic. The question under
discussion was the rector's salary, and when
the subscriptions were handed in it was
llldG q uCuCll VI quill
He remarked quietly, 81 will give that
sum'-and the company separated, little
dreaming that the most illustriOus men,
Der would never join them again. Return
ing home, tea was on the table, and, accord
ing to his invariable habit, he stood up to
say grace. But the lips refused to speak,
and he sat down without showing any signs
of agitation, though the expression of his
face told plainly enough that he realized
what the dumb lips meant. Physicians
were promptly summoned and he was laid
on the bed from which he never arose alive.
The case was treated as one of venous con-
gestion of the brain, but there was no par
alysis of motion or sensation, and only
slightly impaired consciousness. A fatal
termination was not anticipated by any
one except the patient. He seemed to feel
from the first that he would not recover,
and manifested not the slightest desire to
do so. When his son, Custis, spoke OF re-
covery as probable, he shook his head and
pointed upward. Some persistence was re-
quired to induce him to take medicine. The
mind wandered occasionally, and at one of
these timeshe exclaimed, "strike the tent"
and at another, "tell Hill he must come
up" showing that the thoughts OF the
great soldier were far away from the
sick room, in the midst of the toilsome
march and the fiercer scenes Of battle.
There was no suffering at the close; simply
a gentle falling into that sleep which knows
no waking.