Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1893-10-11
TIE ART OF BREATHING.
Properly Exercised It Will Prevent or Re
 tard Pulmonary Affections

taru Pulmonary Affections.
 Dr. Mays will be surprised at the in ference which some paragrapher has drawn from his paper in the August Century on Breathing Movements as a Cure, " which inference is to the effect that the wearingof corsets prevents con- sumption in women and is therefore a ] strong point en the side of those who wish to and do wear these articles of clothing.
 Although this conclusion is possible perhaps from the premises presented, + is a nasty and surface one. admittins. wide qualification, and, moreover, it in- troduces 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 blcoded 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, 1t seems, is the most common seat and genesis of pulmonary troubles.
 Now, as the most reliable statistics show that women enjoy Q greater i'm munity from consumption than men, 2 connection between the two facts is sug- gested. It is not established or even positively assumed.
 But 1t Is just here that some careless reader and nasty writer has seized upon and made his point" t"-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 t. 3 paper. All the serious vices of the habit remain unmoved by it, and its accidental virtue as Dr. 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 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 l 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- else, says ne paper, '.is 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 so, while in female even with good lungs this power is somewhat reduced. Practice of this sort will slowly develop the lungs, and the increased ability tc count longer is Q 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 Q very beneficial effect. - New York Times.
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