Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-25


Of all the needs of life none will deny.
We can exist days without food. for
hours without water. for very few min
utes without air. Life Is but matter OF
chemistry: the chemical processes taking
place within the animal body are all reg
nlated by an element in the air we
breathe, the oxygen. The more that
chemistry delves into the mystery OF life
the more do we come to understand that
we live and move and have our being
because of the oxygen contained in the
air We breathe. This is true, and being
true, 1t must be apparent to all that any
cause which prevents our obtaining full
supply Of oxygen strikes at the root OF
our existence.
The pathway to the lungs, however. is
so constructed that the air We breathe
must be prepared before 1t can be USED.
1t must be cleansed of dust; 1t must pc
made moist; it must be warmed. Inc
proper mechanism to do this is all located
within the nasal chambers. 1t is there
and nowhere else, and when the course Oh
breathing Is diverted from It's proper
channel changes occur which result IN
disease.
To one whose work leads to study OF
the conditions presented in the nose,
mouth and throat, together with adjacent
facial structures. the fact Is almost oH-
IL
ton is a rarity. Rhinologists are UNI
versally of the opinion that the normal
nose is the exception rather than the
rule, and the dentist who finds g. normal
rejoicing to all his brethren. These
statements are facts. Why are they so?
How the Nose Is Constructed.
1t will be well to consider the anatomy
of the nose, especially in brief way, the
bony structures which enter into its for
nation.
Principally. Two large facial bones COM
plete. by their opposition, the nasal cav
ity They are termed the upper Jaw
bones, and together they inclose an open
ing that is heart-shaped, with broad
part or base downward and the apex up
ward. These bones form the outer or
external walls of the nasal cavity. and
the distance between these two walls de-
termines the breathing capacity of the
nose.
ing determined by the distance between
their lateral walls, the factor which Ell
fects this should next be considered IN
examining one of these bones, II WILL DE
seen that 1t is made up of several por-
tions a body or main part and four pro-
jections the cheek, nose, teeth and palate
portions respectively. The palate process
thick and strong. projects horizontally m
ward from the base and forms the hoof
It is more especially to this palate pro-
cess that attention will be drawn, pc
cause upon it's proper growth ana oe-
1velopment depends proper respiration.
What are the forces which 1nnuence
the growth Of this process? They are
several. When the mouth is closed. the
tongue lies closely against the roof OF
the mouth, producing suction Wnicn
forms a partial vacuum between the top
of the tongue and the roof OF the mouth.
The palate projection and that bearing
the teeth Of the bones bounding the
nasal chambers form an arch, the under
surface of which is the roof OF the
mouth, the upper the floor OF the nose:
With a partial vacuum under the roof
of the mouth, atmospheric pressure,
pounds to the square inch, furnishes q
force which tends to broaden this arcn
and thus widen the nasal cavity. Again.
when the mouth is closed, the tongue
lies against the inner surface of the
Jaw bone, exerting constantly :" lateral
pressure against its sides, pushing them
constantly outward and assisting in this
lateral growth, the Importance Of which
constitutes the purpose Of this paper:
| OF almost equal importance in this
development are the teeth. The st,muia,
ton to growth caused by prolonged
mastication of food is one of the great
est factors in the development of the
face It has been found. in the ex-
animation of a large number of skulls in
the Army Medical Museum. that ir-
regularity Of the teeth are invariably
accompanied by faulty development of
the nose. Dental writer's all tell us
that loss Of the first teeth in the grow
ing child or any condition which inter-
feres with their normal growth. has a
deleterious effect on the internal struc-
ture of the face.
Proper Respiration Essential.
It will be readily seen, then. from the
foregoing that proper nasal respiration
and proper growth and use of the teeth
as the child develops are essential to
the production Of a normal individual.
Mouth breathing occurs when, for any
reason, breathing through the nose is
INSTRUCTED. From the foregoing state
ments it can be seen that the factors
which aid development are lost.
Besides, force that directly opposes
development is produced. When the
lower jaw hangs down. as it does in