Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-10-27
Breathing Movements as Cure or Pre-
vcntive of Consumption.

From an article in the Century by Thomas G
Mays
From all that has been offered in the
foregoing pages | think it is evident that
proper development and expansion of the
lungs by means of well-regulated breath
ing must be regarded as of the greatest
value in the prevention and in the treat
ment of the inactive stages of pulmonary
consumption. Much has been said and
written on the subject of artificially infat-
ing the chest and of bringing into activity
that upper part of the lungs which natur-
ally tends 10 become idle As a rule it
may be said, however that the more sim.
pie the method, the more effective and
practical will be the results which flow
from it. Among the many exercises which
are recommended for this purpose, the fol-
lowing movements are very valuable. The
arms, being used AS levers. are swung back
ward as far as possible on a level with the
shoulders during each inspiration, and
brought together in front on the same lev
el during each expiration. Or the hands
are brought together above the head while
inspiring and gradually brought down
alongside the body while expiring. 4 deep
breath must be taken with each inspira-
ton. and held until the arms are gradually
moved forward, or downward, or longer. in
order to make both methods fully opera
tive.
Another very scrviceabe chest exercise
is to take 4 deep inspiration, and. during
expiration, in loud voice count or sing as
long as possible a male person with a
good chest capacity can count up to sixty
or eighty. while in a female, even with
good lungs, this power is somewhat re-
duced. Practice OF this sort will slowly
develop the lungs, and the increased abili-
~ to count longer is a measure of the i'm
proyement going on within the chest. Or,
again, the taking of six or eight full and
deep breaths in succession every hour dur
ing the day, either while sitting at work,
or while walking out in the open air, will
have very beneficial effect.
Consumption is not a disearse which
originates in a day, but it is the outgrowth
of morbid habits and agencies which may
even antedate the birth of the individual.
Defective breathing is one of these habits,
and its perniciOus prevalence is more wide
spread than is generally supposed. From
close attention to this subject for many
years, believe that our clerks, telegraph
operators, tailors, shoemakers. jewellers,
etc, and the many tlat-chested and round
shoulueIeu people III otner Walks OF Ire,
never, under ordinary circumstances, fully
initiate the upper part of their lungs. One
of the pressing indications, therefore, in
the prevention of pulmonary consumption
lies in the correction of this chest deform-
ity, and feel that the good which may be
accomplished in this direction by following
the simple means here suggested cannot be
overestimated. 1t must be understood,
however, that these exercises are to be APP
piled with energy and constancy. They
must be continued until their accumulated
effects become part of the very nature of
the breathing movement itself, after which
a habit of deep breathing becomes estab-
lished which goes on Independently of any
extra effort of will-power.