The San Francisco call., 1904-02-27
HO7u Nature Acts.

celI- DIeSeIAdllOI u lllt utSA ldW VI
nature" and in the workings OF the
human body this invariable tendency
to representation initiates and dom
mates every one Of the bOdy's myriad
activities. cough. for instance, is
merely a blast Of air fOrcibly expelled
from the lungs for the purpose of dis
lodging either an accumulation of
mucus or some foreign body that has
found its way into the upper air pass
ages.
Now, a cough seems a very triling
act, but were il not for the cough
which carries out with IL the mucus
or the foreign substance. the result
would be grave injury TO the body. if
not death. II sometimes happens that
through injury the nervous path from
brain 10 lungs is broken, or the nerves
leading from lungs to brain may cease
10 act. In such a case either the for
eign substance is not discovered or if
discovered there is inability TO cough
IL away. This condition always ends
fatally. Secretions and foreign sub
stances which enter the lungs or air
passages accumulate until the func-
tiOns Of the lungs are destroyed either
by being clOgged up or by infiamma-
ton. 1t has happened that a man at
tempting suicide by cutting his throat
has made the mistake OF cutting too
high up under the jaw and has sue
ceeded only in dividing two of the
nerves leading to the lungs. A man in
this condition viii live for several
days. He viii finally die of suffocation
or of lung Inflammation due TO for
eign matter.
But how. ii viii be asked, can a
yaWn or a sigh be considered as a
means Of self-preservation. that is of
giving better conditions for life and
health Let US consider first yawn.
We know that in sleep or in a state
Of drOWsiness all the vital operations
slow down. The heart beats more
slowly, the lungs take in less oxygen.
the blood settles around the internal
organs. while the stomach. liver and
other members all do Jess work than
would be required for ordinary active
waking life. Now if, after a period
Of such drOwsiness. or of sleep. the
person rouses himself even to a slight
degree instantly there is an AIDED de-
mand for energy. To support this en-
ergy the body needs more oxygen and
more blood. How can this be OBJ
tanned most quickly? Why by a deep
full and slow inspiration and at the
same time by such a stretching of all
the muscles, arms. legs. trunk. neck
even Of the jaws. that the blood shall
be drawn from its comparative stag
nation around the internal organs to
the muscles. SO, among all the higher
mammals, as Wen as among children
and people Of primitive habits. the
yawn and the stretch are instructive
acts heading TO relief from that vital
slowing down which accompanies
sleep or drOwsiness.
Now, the sigh in some respects re-
sembles the yawn. When one concen-
trates the mind firmly on some problem
there is more or less tension Of all the
muscles. If the situation involves un-
pleasantness or worry there is gener-
ally motion Of some kind-drumming
with the fingers, fumbling or other
movements. Body, then, as well as
mind, is extremely active But if the
mind, instead Of being concentrated. is
merely contemplative, as in reverie-
thinking Of one loved or Of one dead or
Of any other great JOY or grief-then
there is quite a different state OF the
muscular system. The muscles of the
limbs are not tensed, and there is little
or no disturbance of the circulation.
There is. however. in all contemplation.
reverie, grief. sadness or meditation a
tendency 10 iXation Of the muscles of
the chest-that is. 10 hold the breath.
The writer has observed a woman deep
~ immersed in grief over the death of
a child who in the course of one min
ute stopped breathing twice. once for
twelve and once for eight seconds.
Then she sighed heavily. Why the sigh ?
Because the holding of the breath
meant a diminutiOn in the supply of
oxygen. which after a time caused on
preston and distress. The sigh was sim
ply a long. deep. effortless breath. the
object Of which was to make up for
the deficient breathing Of reverie or
contemplation.
Snoring and hiccoughing often give
rise TO questions as to their causes. The
former Of these. snoring usually occurs
during sleep. The sound is produced
by the Tapping together Of the soft
tissues Of the throat The soft palate
must have fallen back so as to nearly
or quite close the pOsterior nasal ori-
fees which lead from the nostrils into
the throat At the same time the base
Of the tongue must have fallen back so
as 20 leave only small opening between
itself and the soft palate above Under
these circumstances the air passing
back and forth causes a Tapping mo-
tion Of these pendulous soft parts. and
this produces the snore. A very slight
change Of movement will cause a shift
ing of the structures and a stoDpage or
alteration Of the sound. The so-called
death rattle" a peculiar sound fire.
ouently heard just before death. is
merely a modification of the snore. The
death rattle" like the snore. is caused
by the tapping of the soft structures
in the throat The greater relaxation.
however, due to muscular weakness,
and the quickened. shallow breathing
give TO the sound emitted a sharper,
quicker quality.
Closely allied 10 the snore and the