432 Historical 



(c). Vessels of the ear and the conjunctiva obliterated; the 

 ears pale; sometimes congested in an instant. Because of the increas- 

 ing darkness, the color of the pupil and that of the iris cannot be de- 

 termined. 



(d). The ear and the conjunctiva remain pale; finally, no vessel 

 can be perceived. (P. 587). 



So, Vivenot concluded, under the influence of compressed air 

 the blood diminishes in the vessels of the periphery of the body. 



After the details which I have just reported about the changes 

 in the two great physiological functions of respiration and circula- 

 tion, changes which are at the same time the most important and 

 the easiest to verify, I think it will be sufficient to reproduce the 

 summary which Vivenot himself gives of all his observations. 

 Unfortunately, the statement of the data in it is so thoroughly 

 mingled with the theoretical ideas which the author conceived to 

 explain them that it would be impossible to separate them from 

 each other; but the difficulties resulting from this confusion will be 

 settled in reading the following chapter. 



Summary of the Physiological Phenomena. 



1. Impressions in the ear. 



2. The change in the tone of the voice, the tones rise in pitch; 

 the difficulty in pronunciation, the impossibility of whistling, some- 

 times slight stammering. 



3. Smell, taste, and touch' lose their keenness. 



4. The negative pressure in the inspiration and the positive 

 pressure in the expiration increase. 



5. The convexity of the abdomen decreases because of the 

 compression of the intestinal gases. 



6. For the same reason, the diaphragm and the base of the lungs 

 fall. 



7. The lung, during inspiration as well as during expiration, 

 comes around in front of the heart. 



8. Thence comes the decrease of the cardiac impulse upon pal- 

 pation and the faintness of its sounds upon auscultation. 



9. The pulmonary vital capacity increases. At 3/7 of com- 

 pression, it is increased in a half-hour by 73.40 cc. on the average, 

 and in 1V 2 hours by 105.27 cc, that is, 3.30% of their original 

 dimensions. 



10. On return to normal pressure, the increase in pulmonary 

 capacity decreases, but the lungs do not regain exactly their orig- 

 inal volume. 



11. Repeated treatments bring every day an increase of the 

 pulmonary capacity; more at the beginning than at the end. After 

 3V2 months of air treatments my pulmonary vital capacity had be- 

 come greater by 743 cc, that is, increased one quarter without any 

 loss of the contractile power of the lungs. 



