Physiology of Speech. M? 



trial of the muscular power, during speech, is known from the ex- 

 perience of public speakers, but is only fully appreciated by th« 

 physician, in his attendance on those cases of disease which particu- 

 larly impair the muscular strength, as continued fevers ; the 

 degree of energy of the speech may, indeed, be considered an 

 accurate measure of the degree of muscular power or debility, 

 and the observant physician may learn from this alone, that his 

 patient is getting worse, remains stationary, or is becoming con- 

 valescent. It is not less observable, that speaking has a banefu^ 

 influence on the patient who labours under disease of the lungs ; 

 and it is said of the celebrated Talma, that he never performs 

 Les fureurs d'Oreste without being taken with spitting of blood. 



It is on their influence on the respiration, that I have formed 

 my division and arrangement of the consonants ; their sub-division 

 may be founded on their respective modes, or mechanism of 

 their enunciation. I shall, therefore, divide them — 



1. Into those, in the articulation of which both the mouth and 

 the nostrils are closed, and the respiration, of course, completely 

 arrested : 



2. Into those, in the enunciation of which the nostrils are 

 closed, but the mouth left more or less open, for the exit of the 

 air, which is compressed, but not interrupted, in its expiration : 



3. Into those, not requiring even the nostrils to be closed, and 

 in the enunciation of which the air is still less compressed in its 

 course from the lungs : and, 



4. Into those, in the articulation of which the expired air is 

 not interrupted, and scarcely impeded at all. 



Of the ^r^/ class, are 



B T C 

 P ' D ' K 



In tracing these letters into their sub-divisions, we may observe, 

 that the first pair are labials, being formed by the lips compressed 

 together ; the second pair are linguo-dentals, formed by pressing 

 the point of the tongue against the posterior and upper part of 

 the upper teeth; and the third pair are linguo-palatial, being 

 effected by pressing the middle part of the tongue against the 



