The herald., 1893-10-10
THE ART OF BREATHING.
Properly Exercised 1t VIII Prevent OF Re-
tard Pulmonary Affectiona


tard Pulmonary Affections.
DIR. Mays will be surprised at the in
ference which some paragrapher has
drawn from his paper in the August
Century on breathing Movements as
Cure" which inference is to the effect
that the wearing Of corsets prevents con-
sumption in women and is therefore a
strong point on the side Of those who
wish to and do wear these articles of
blothing.
Although this conclusion is possible
perhaps from the premises presented, it
is hasty and surface one, admitting
wide qualification, and, moreover, it in
PRODUCES an issue upon which the paper
does not bear in any degree. In his re-
searches for data upon his subject DR..
Mays secured tracings of the breathing
movements Of several classes of women,
full blooded Indians, partially and semi
civilized and civilized, getting results
proportionally different.
He found that the civilized woman,
accustomed for generations to restrict
ing clothing, uses the upper part of her
breathing apparatus more thoroughly
than her savage or semisavage sister or
than do men.
And as we are all supplied with more
lung surface than we habitually need, it
chances that the portions left unemploy-
ed by Indian females and men, but per-
force brought into service by the corset
wearing woman, is the upper part or
apex of the lungs.
And this, it seems, is the most common
seat and genesis Of pulmonary troubles.
Now, as the most reliable statistics
show that women enjoy greater i'm
munity from consumption than men, a
connection between the two facts is sug-
gested. 1t is not established or even
positively assumed.
But it is just here that some careless
reader and hasty writer has seized upon
and made his "point"-viz, that corsets
prevent consumption.
The faulty nature Of such an argu-
ment in favor of lacing is quickly ap-
parent to any one who will finish the
paper. All the serious vices of the habit
remain unmoved by it, and it's accidental
virtue, as DIR. Mays points out, though
not in this connection, is readily gained
in much better way.
The fact which the paper does bring
out is the value of right breathing as a
means to avoid and retard pulmonary
affections. The author suggests some
simple exercises that any mother will do
well to have carried out in her family of
children. The best of these is to swing
the arms backward on q level with the
shoulders as far as possible during each
inspiration, bringing them together in
front on the same level during each ex-
piration, or to bring the hands slowly to
the highest point above the head during
inspiration, letting them fall gradually
to the side as the breath exhales. The
caution is added that deep breath must
be taken and slowly expelled to make
these operative.
"Another very serviceable chest exer-
cise," says the paper, sis to take deep
inspiration, and during expiration count
or sing as long as possible. A male with
a good chest capacity can count up to 60
or 80, while in q female even with good
lungs this power is somewhat reduced.
Practice of this sort will slowly develop
the lungs, and the increased ability to
count longer is a measure of the improve
ment going on within the chest. Or,
again, the taking of six or eight full and
deep breaths in succession every hour
during the day, either while sitting at
work or while walking out in the open
air, will have very beneficial effect. >
New York Times.