60 THE NEW PHYSIOLOGY. 



ticularly by the great physiologist from whom this 

 society takes its name. 



Now I think that many of my hearers will at once say 

 that such a course may be useful up to a certain point, 

 but that it is not true science, and that therefore we 

 cannot desert the old attempts. We must, in fact, 

 still continue our frontal attacks on the wire entangle- 

 ment. To this criticism I shall endeavour to reply 

 later. But meanwhile I should like to explain more 

 clearly, and by means of examples, what the new 

 physiology aims at. 



Perhaps I can do this most directly by referring first 

 to the corner of physiology which has largely occupied 

 my own attention — the physiology of breathing. 



When we count the breaths, or measure their depth, 

 we find much irregularity, as if there were no very 

 definite or exact regulation of the breathing. Any active 

 occupation, such as speaking or singing, interferes in 

 various ways with the breathing, and the impression 

 at first produced is that the regulation of breathing is 

 very rough. It is also commonly believed that by special 

 training we can increase, or " improve," the ventilation 

 of the lungs. On the other hand, it has been well known 

 for long that the breathing is more or less regulated to 

 correspond with the consumption of oxygen and pro- 

 duction of carbon dioxide in the body. Thus during 

 heavy muscular exertion greatly increased breathing 

 accompanies the greatly increased oxidation in the 

 tissues. Another fact well known to physiologists is 

 that if the lung ventilation is by artificial or voluntary 

 means greatly increased for a short time, there follows 

 a period of " apncea," during which natural breathing 



