130 PRACTICAL PHYSIOLOGY 



CHAPTER XVIII 

 RESPIRATION 



Examination of the Chest of Man. Much can be learned by simple 

 methods of examination, and it is of the greatest importance that 

 the medical student should rely more upon his sight, hearing and 

 touch, than upon the graphic records obtained with different forms 

 of apparatus. 



Inspection. The c hest of a man stripped to the waist is examined 

 and the following points are noted : (i) The shape, whether the 

 thorax is strongly built and symmetrical, (ii) its mobility, whether 

 the two sides move equally. The condition of the abdominal wall 

 should then be examined, and attention paid to the development of 

 its muscles and the movements during respiration. 



The measurement round the chest of an adult man is about 35 

 inches and can be taken with a tape. The increase in circumference 

 produced by inspiration is about 2 to 3 inches. It is impossible, 

 however, to determine by such measurements whether a man has a 

 good " wind " or not. A well-developed chest generally means that 

 a man has lived an active life and has a good heart and lungs, but 

 great variations are found in the shape of the chest of healthy men. 

 The true test of a man's heart and lungs is whether he can respond 

 to the demands of muscular exercise without undue breathlessness 

 and distress. Even this test must be applied with intelligence, for 

 the man may be under-fed, and may have led a very sedentary life. 



A graphic record of the shape of the chest in different planes can 

 be obtained with the cyrtometer (see Part I, p. 71). 



The movements of the chest and abdomen should be observed 

 and their relationship to inspiration and expiration determined. 

 Some subjects show marked abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing, 

 others breathe more by the thorax. In women the movement of the 

 upper part of the chest is greater than in men ; the causes of this 

 difference are to be ascribed to the constriction of the abdomen and 

 lower portion of the thorax by corsets and to the greater mobility 

 of the thorax, due to the fact that in civilised countries the women 

 do less muscular work than the men. If hard work is frequently 

 performed with the arms the upper portion of the thorax becomes 

 more rigid, and this is an advantage, for it gives a better purchase 

 for the contracting muscles. 



There is no sound basis for the dogmatic teaching about thoracic 

 and abdominal breathing of some so-called specialists in physical 

 training. Healthy children do not need lessons in breathing, but 

 opportunities for muscular exercise, for games in the open air. No 

 reasonable athlete would attempt to improve his " wind " except by 

 training it by progressively graduated runs. A good " wind " is 



