The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-09-12
CULTIvATING THE THROAT.
Yauning and Deep Breathing Are
Important Factors.

A little book recently published In
Vienna is devoted to method Of
vocal culture and also health culture
that has stood the test OF pract tical
experience In numerous cases but Is
not as well known as 1t deserves to
/ be. 1t Is based upon the vocal meth
od OF the concert singer, Josephine
Richter, the mother of the celebrated
, orchestra leader Hans Richter and
consists essentially of peculiar move
ment OF the jaws which ultimately
Siye the pupil an astonishing COM
mand over the soft palate, besides
strengthening the muscles Of the
| face, neck and chest
Herr LAM. the author OF the book.
can readily understand from
which that famous physicist says.
quotes letter written TO Nine. Rich
ter by the late Prof. Helmholtz in
theodetical considerations, that the
labb!nes Of the soft palate and the
| back OF the mouth must act as a
damper upon the voice and an OBJ
stacle to precision Of attack and
utterance. Hence, II the command
of the palate. tongue and larynx
which you possess can be acquired
| by your method Of exercising the
muscles Of the face and throat, as
your example appears to prove. the
tact Is clearly Of great importance
It is physiologically probable that
such exercises would have that
| effect
That the exercises do have that
effect Is proved by an examination Of
an average unframed throat and the
throat Of singer trained By the
new method. In the former the soft
palate and It's conical extension. the
uvula. hang limp and constrtct the
vocal passage. which Is further mar
rowed by the prominent tonsil at
each side. In mouth 30 encum-
bered. as In a room filled with furni-
ture. II Is impossible for the voice to
ring loud and clear. Tho tonsils and
soft palate Of the trained singer, on
the other hand. are retracted and
hardened and the pendant uvula has
entirely disappeared. giving the
voice . clear and wide passage with
| Arm walls, and consequently increas-
ing its volume and improving It's
quality.
The method is recommended foT
the cultivation Of the speaking a
we'll as the singing voice and for t"t
prevention and alleviation OF various
| diseases Of the throat, at gives IA
tonishing relief IN catarrh OF tho
throat and suggests new possibilities
In the treatmbent of enlarged ton
! sils."
Now these exercises consist essent-
tally of yawning, which has recently
been recommended, independently, as
a valuable exercise for the respira-
| tory organs. According to DR., Naogli
| of the University of Luettich yawninS
| brings all the respiratory muscles
! OF the chest and throat into action
| and is therefore the best and most
natural means of strengthening
| them. He advises everybody to
yawn as deeply as possible, with
| arms outstretched, in order to change
completely the air in the lungs and
stimulate respiration. In many cases
| he has found the practice to relieve
the difficulty In swallowing and dis
turbance Of the sense Of hearing that
accompany catarrh of the throat
The patient is induced to yawn
through suggestion. imitation or a
preliminary exercise In deep breath
Ing. Each treatment consists Of
from six to eight yawns. each fol-
lowed by the operation OF swallow
ing.
It should be added, however, that
II Is quite possible for deep breathing
10 be overdone, particularly by per-
sons with weak hearts. and 1t Is at
least open to question whether the
obstacles 10 free respiration which
the yawning cure Is alleged TO re-
move are not useful in preventing
the entrance Of germs and othsr tor
sign bodies. Scientific American.