Within the last fifteen years, we have had the opportunity of making many thousands of observations on the respiratory movement in woman of all classes and several distinct races, civilized and uncivilized, recording our observations by means of an ingenious instrument known as Pneumograph. The result of our studies has been the demonstration of the fact, which we are glad to say is now recognized by many leading physiologist, that women whose respiratory organs have not been deformed by tight lacing, breathe exactly as do men. The accompaying graphic illustrations of the breathing movements show the grounds for our conclusion. The first half of each tracing shows the movement of the upper part of the chest; the second half, that of the lower part of the chest. It will be noted that of the tracings of all except the corset-wearing woman and the man in a corset, are practically identical, as are also those obtained from the man and woman in like conditions of corset compression. Up to present time, all standard authorites in physiology have been agreed that there are two distinct types of respiation in human beimgs, characteristic of the two sexes; namely, abdominal and costal, it being declared that adult males breathe chiefly with the lower portion of the chest, using the diaphragm and abdominal muscles freely, while women breathe chiefly with the upper part of the chest. In arriving at this conclusion, physiologists seem to have confined their studies of respiration in woman wholly to civilized woman, in whom the mode of dress is evidenty well calculated to produce serious interference with the respiratory function. Many years ago (1879), referring to this alleged natural difference in the respaition of man and woman, the author wrote:-- "It is undoubtedly true that most woman do breahe almost exclusively with the upper part of the chest; but whether this is a natural peculiarity, or an acquired, unnatural, and depraved one, is a question which we are decidedly inclined to answer in harmony with the latter supposition, basing our conclusion upon the following undeniable facts:--
Since writing the above we have made many observations which confirm the views expressed. We long ago determined, however, to make a more exact study of the subject, should opportunity ever be afforded us to observe respiration in the women of Indian tribes or other races who have not adopted the habits of civilization as regards dress. The following brief description of some of the results of the studies above referred to, will enable the reader to appreciate the nature and value of the evidence thus obtained: |
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Costal. | Abdominal. | |
Man |
Fig. 1 is a tracing obtained from a man of vigorous habits, when breathing without voluntary effort.
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Costal. | Abdominal. | |
Young Woman in Corset |
Fig. 2 shows the curves produced by a young woman wearing a corset. There is almost no movement of the lower part of the chest, although she evidently made an effort to use that part.
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Costal. | Abdominal. | |
Man in Corset |
Fig. 3 is a tracing showing the respiratory movements of a man with a corset on. This tracing is exactly the reverse of that obtained from a man with ordinary clothing.
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Costal. | Abdominal. | |
Chinese Woman |
Fig. 4 is a fair average of the tracings obtained from -the Chinese women.
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Costal. | Abdominal. | |
Chippeway Indian Woman |
Fig. 5 is a tracing obtained from a Chippeway Indian woman, who wore a loose dress, and had never bad a corset on.
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Costal. | Abdominal. | |
A Scotch Woman who had never worn a Corset |
Fig. 6 is of interest in this connection, as it represents the respiratory movements of a civilized woman of Scotch birth, who, at the age of forty-five years (at the time this tracing was taken), bad never in her life worn a corset or other means of constricting the waist, and bad been wholly free from the pelvic disorders to which a large share of the members of her sex in civilized lands are subject.
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Costal. | Abdominal. | |
A Reformed Corset-wearer |
Fig. 7 represents the breathing of a reformed corset-wearer, who bad, by her change of dress, recovered from a condition of useless invalidism.
The lesson to be learned from these graphic representations of the breathing of women who have never acquired an artificial mode of respiration, as compared with the breathing of corset-choked women, is too obvious to require special emphasis. We only wish to add upon this point that our observations have been confirmed by other scientific investigators, and we believe we may confidently expect that the teaching of the next generation of text-books in physi-ology will be modified to agree with the plain teach ing of nature upon this important question. We beg our fair readers to consider for a moment the shape and structure of the chest, and the natural act of breathing. The upper part of the chest is completely inclosed by walls of bone and cartilage. The lower part of the chest is not thus confined, the lower ribs being connected to the breast-bone by long, flexible cartilages, so as to give them great latitude of movement. The chest may be compared, in its action, to a pair of bellows. The larynx is the nozzle, the upper chest the body, and the lower parts of the chest, the points of the ribs, the handles of the breathing bellows. Is it not apparent that to place a constriction about the waist, thus confining the lower part of the chest, is equivalent to tying together the handles of a pair of bellows, and then endeavoring to make use of them by vainly seeking to expand the body of the instrument? It is precisely in this awkward and inefficient fashion that the waist-constricted woman undertakes to breathe! |
Two woman, who breathe. The first is a normal woman and the second is a corseted woman. But all normal woman at that time used corset, at the heavy in the chest suggested as she have used corset, and train the breathing in chest. |