The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-07-26
WEDNESDAY, e6 1893
Gymnastics for the Lungs.

Man does not live by bread alone. The
food we eat would not afford nourishment
If we did not breathe. Air is free to us all,
but it were better If the dvercivilized peo
pie of our age had to pay for it; then they
would value it. Air is one of our principal
nourishments. 1t is to the lungs what
food is to the stomach It's importance
may be judged from the fact that healthy
human being requires 300 lters of air per
hour The lungs consist of 800, 000, 600 lung
cells, which If they were spread out would
cover 200 square meters. This proves the
usefulness of the lungs. We must breathe,
and If we do not instinctively understand
how to do it properly we should learn;
hence lung gymnastics But few breathe
properly. Look at the children over their
lessons or the accountant over his books
Can you hear them breathe2 Nay, they do
it so feebly that it does not affect their po-
sition or countenance. To breathe correct
ly is an art and must be learned, though
nature ought to have given everybody the
faculty.
In the first place, it is wrong to draw the
breath through the mouth. The nose is the
natural avenue to the lungs. In the nose
are provided cavities in which the air IL
warmed before it comes to the lungs The
nose also contains eXcretions which absorb
the impurities of the air We all commit
a great fault by not breathing with force.
To understand what q true forceful breath
is, bare the breast and look into your glass.
The ordinary breathing scarcely moves the
chest, but hold the breath for an instant be-
fore it is blown out and you will see the
chest move. This is right. We must breathe
so forcefully that the chest moves up and
down or visibly expands and contracts
Artificial" breathing consists in forcing
the air in and out of the lungs so strongly
that the chest vsibly expands and con
tracts. To learn to practice that, it is well
in the beginning to stand up straight
against "A wall, for instance, placing the
heels together, resting the arms (Which
ought to be benD upon the hips Then push
the chest forward while the abdomen is con-
tracted so much that the weight of the per
son falls upon the foremost part of the feet.
After having come into this position, close
the mouth and draw in the air slowly and
blow it out as slowly. After a long or
deep breath one ought to hold that breath
for an instant before it is blown out again.
This is lung gymnastics, and the rationale
of it is that only thus are gasses fully con-
trolled. BY holding the breath the air
comes to act on the whole surface of the
blood, nourishing it and removing the i'm
pure gases. The lungs must be perfectly
emptied before being refilled, and that can
only be done by forceful breathing.
When we make those experiments, the
body must not be tied down by close fitting
garments, bonds or an overloaded stomach
The best time is in the morning and before
meals. The exercise should always be taken
in free, fresh and pure air, or at least be-
fore an open window. Five minutes eXer-
else every day will do wonders for a healthy
person. We must not expect miracles for
unhealthy persons from lung gymnastics.
We ought to practice before we get sick.
Sometimes the practice would prevent the
sickness At any rate it will prolong life.