Airway

“ Man breathes by means of lungs; but who can understand their wonderful mechanism, so perfect in all its parts? Though every organ is subservient to another, yet each has its own office to perform. The minute air-cells are for the aeration of the blood; the larger bronchial tubes ramify the lungs, and suffuse them with air; the trachea serves as a passage for the air to and from the lungs, while at its upper extremity is the larynx, which has been fitly called the organ of the human voice. ”

“ The numerous canal-like ducts in the lung, into which it passes, have each a blood-vessel lying alongside, so that the whole lung is thought to be full of blood. The inward passage of the air is called respiration, the outward expiration, and this double movement goes on continuously just so long as the animal lives and keeps this organ in continuous motion; it is for this reason that life is bound up with the passage of the breath outwards and inwards. ”

“ The free and equable expansion of the lungs by full inspiration, necessarily takes place; this maintains their healthy structure, by keeping all the air-passages open and pervious; it prevents congestion in the pulmonary circulation, and at the same time provides more completely for the necessary chemical action on the blood, by changing, at each act of respiration, a sufficient proportion of the whole air contained in the lungs,—all objects of great importance, and all capable of being promoted, more or less, by the means in question. ”

“ The pulmonary tissues are endowed with great elasticity, in consequence of which the lungs collapse to about one-third of their bulk when the thorax is opened.
The root of each lung consists of bronchi, arteries, and veins, together with the nerves, lymphatic vessels, and glands, connected by areolar tissue, and inclosed in a sheath of the pleura.
Respiration consists of an expiration and an inspiration. The air passes in through the nose or [276] mouth, through the larynx, trachea, bronchi, into the lungs. ”

“ Air as important as Food.—​The quality of the blood depends almost as much on the air we breathe as on the food we eat; in the course of every two or three minutes, all the blood in the body passes through the endless ramifications of the lungs, for no other purpose than that, during the instant of its passage, it should be acted upon by the oxygen contained in the air which is drawn into the lungs in the act of breathing. ”

“ Besides the heart and the great vessels the chest contains the lungs, the chief organ of respiration, which, with the rest of the respiratory system, will now be treated. The nose and mouth, through which the air first enters the body, have already been spoken of. From them the air passes through the larynx to the trachea, thence to the bronchi, and so to the lungs, where the supply of oxygen for the tissues is taken from the air by the hemoglobin of the blood. ”

“ Simple diffusion through the narrow bronchial tubes could not possibly bring oxygen into the lung sacs fast enough to supply the requirements of the blood flowing through their walls. The situation is met by active lung ventilation; that is, by forcibly changing the air in the lungs at frequent intervals. The way in which this is done is, as we all know, by breathing. Breathing is nothing but a bellows movement of the chest by which air is alternately expelled and allowed to enter. ”

“ When you are running and breathing hard, and even when you are sitting still and breathing quietly, air is going into your lungs and then coming out, going in and coming out, many times every minute. How does the air get in and out of the lungs? It will not run in of itself; for it is light and floats about, you know. Here, again, Mother Nature has planned it all out. She has made us an air bellows, or air pump, to suck it into the lungs. ”

“ Special breathing exercises, as well as those active muscular movements which induce a thirst for air, are beneficial to the lungs by maintaining the flexibility of the chest, strengthening the respiratory muscles, and ventilating the lungs. These movements also exercise a most extraordinary beneficial effect upon the stomach, liver, and other organs which lie below the diaphragm. Each time the diaphragm contracts, it gives the liver, stomach, and adjacent organs a hearty squeeze, so to speak, emptying out the blood contained in these parts as one may by compression empty a moist sponge. ”

“ You recollect that the venous blood, on being expelled from the right ventricle, enters the lungs to go through what we may call the lesser circulation; the large trunk or vessel that conveys it branches out, at its entrance into the lungs, into an infinite number of very fine ramifications. 331 The windpipe, which conveys the air from the mouth into the lungs, likewise spreads out into a corresponding number of air vessels, which follow the same course as the blood vessels, forming millions of very minute air-cells. ”

“ I. That must answer our purpose, dear Ann. Of the change which takes place in the blood, and of the renewal of our physical system, which is effected by circulation, I shall say nothing. We will pass to respiration.
E. Whose popular name is breathing?
I. Yes. The act of inhaling air, is called inspiration; that of sending it out, expiration. Its organs are the lungs and windpipe. The apparatus employed in the mechanism of breathing is very complex. The windpipe extends from the mouth to the lungs. ”

“ When air has to be admitted, its fibres tighten and bring it flat again, as you and your brother brought the handkerchief flat just now by tightening it.
The whole space previously occupied by the arch of the diaphragm is thus given up to the lungs, which, being elastic, instantly stretch themselves out to it; while air, running in through the nose and mouth, fills up in proportion the empty place (vacuum) created by the extension of the lungs, exactly as in the case of the bellows. ”

“ What assists one does not appeal to another. But here is an assisting thought which does much good to the majority of students. Of course when the breath is taken the diaphragm is down and the waist is spread. Then the chest, bronchial tubes, windpipe and mouth are full of air. Now allow that air to be as still as the air of the room. Practise sustaining tone with any vowel, preceding each effort by taking position suggested above, and with the thought of keeping the air in the body just the same as, and a part of, the outer air. ”

“ A vessel of water was surrounded by an air chamber, to which was fixed a vertical tube, surmounted by a globe. In the center of this was a vacuum gauge. The water in the tube moved upward and downward, creating alternate inhalations and exhalations, which were in turn communicated to me through the hose. With this, and the aid of the men who pumped my arms so vigorously, had the process of breathing been artificially carried on, my chest rising and falling and my lungs expanding and contracting, till nature could be persuaded to again take up her wonted labor. ”

“ Fig. 1, A pair of bellows with two separate bags, so contrived that by opening them, when applied to the nostrils or mouth of a patient, one bag will be filled with common air, and the other with the mephitic air extracted from the lungs; and, by shutting them again, pure atmospheric air will be introduced into those organs, and that drawn out, consequently discharged into the room. Thus, the artificial breathing may be continued, while the other operations on the surface of the body are carried on ”

“ Abdominal Breathing.—This is the best method of breathing, and should be cultivated by all. Singers and speakers find in this the fulcrum of their vocal power. The contraction and expansion of the diaphragm, that wonderful muscular partition, which separates the thoracic from the abdominal cavity, affords the largest and freest movement of the lungs, and, by its pressure upon the [150] viscera, repeated with every breath, it aids greatly in promoting digestion. Many persons, especially women, do not employ abdominal breathing to the extent they should. ”

“ The lungs follow the variations of capacity in the chest, expanding their air-cells when the latter is enlarged, and contracting when the chest is diminished. Thus, when the chest is expanded, the lungs follow, and consequently a vacuum is produced in their air-cells. The air then rushes through the mouth and nose into the trachea and its branches, and fills the vacuum as fast as it is made. ”

“ When one half breathes he only half lives.”
The lungs or air receptacles are enclosed within the walls of the chest or thoratic cavity; beneath the lungs is the great breathing motor, the diaphragm, of a convex shape when in repose. In all correct inhalation the air filling the lungs flattens the diaphragm. This must result in the expansion of the body adjacent to and surrounding the diaphragm. Natural breathing should be accomplished without any upheaval of the chest or hoisting of the shoulders. ”

“ Hygienic Habits of Breathing.—Every one ought to accustom himself upon going into the open air to inspire slowly and deeply to the full capacity of the lungs. A slow expiration should follow. Take care to force the air out. Breathe through the nose, thus warming the air you inspire before it enters the lungs and chills the blood. Repeat this exercise several times every day. You will thus prevent certain of the air sacs which are not often used from becoming hardened and permanently closed. ”

“ In all the respiration is aerial; in all there is a true costal structure, and a respiration effected through the motion of the ribs or a pumping action; in all the lungs are filled with cells; in all there is a diaphragm, a larynx, a trachea with cartilaginous rings, and a thyroid gland. ”

“ Some of the air which enters the lung gets from the bronchial tubes into the blood-vessels by transudation, for there is no direct communication between them; and this air, penetrating the body, rapidly cools the blood throughout the vessels. ”

“ The lungs have attained a high degree of efficiency. Each lung is an oval sac, and is transformed into a complicated system of tubes, at the end of which are the countless honeycomb-like respiratory cells, the whole lung being spongy. The main bronchus is continued straight down to the posterior end of the lung, and sends off during its course regular secondary bronchi, and these send off tertiary bronchi. The whole arrangement is very regular, the tubes coming off like rows of organ-pipes. Each lung hangs freely in the thoracic cavity. ”

“ In the room heated by a German stove and consequently where there cannot be a free ventilation, every individual is breathing the identical air that has circulated through the lungs of every other individual in the same place—through the air-cells of the scrofulous, the scorbutic, the asthmatic, the consumptive, &c.—air that is not only deprived of its oxygen, but loaded with animal effluvia of a very questionable character! ”

“ The principles were always the same–to time the breathing regularly to fit the step, and to use not merely the upper part of the lungs, but the full capacity of the breathing apparatus, expanding and contracting not the chest only, but also the diaphragm, and this not occasionally but with every breath whenever the body was required to work at high pressure. ”

“ The removal of these growths not only improves the method of breathing, but in many instances causes a marked improvement in the general health and personal appearance.
35.The weakest portions of the lungs appear to be the tiny lobes at the top. As they occupy the part of the thorax most difficult to expand, air penetrates them much less freely than it does the lobes below. In most cases of consumption (some authorities give as high as eighty per cent) , the upper lobes are the first to be affected. ”

“ The internal surface of the lungs or air-vessels in men is said to be equal to the external surface of the whole body, or almost fifteen square feet; on this surface the blood is exposed to the influence of the respired air through the medium, however, of a thin pellicle; by this exposure to the air it has its color changed from deep red to bright scarlet, and acquires something so necessary to the existence of life that we can live scarcely a minute without this wonderful process. ”

“ The residual air in a lung is the basis of the respiratory process; the sustained tension of the smaller arteries transforms the pulsating current of blood thrown into the system by the heart to a continuous circulation; the equilibriated tonicity of opposing muscles gives stability to the apparatus of motion, and renders specific combinations of movement possible. ”

“ The blood, wishing to burn its waste matter, and wishing also to purify the alimentary principles which the veins have drawn from the stomach, has need of air. Where will it find it? In the lungs. And that is why it is necessary to introduce air into our lungs, or, in other words, that is why we breathe. The lungs are a simple intermediary between the air and the blood. ”

“ With the hands on the hips, the shoulders drawn back and down, the chest pushed upward and forward, and the chin slightly depressed, draw the air slowly through the nostrils until the lungs are completely full. After holding this long enough to count three slowly, expel it quickly from the lungs. Avoid straining. To get the benefit of pure air, it is generally better to practice deep breathing out of doors or before an open window. ”

“ All of these are connected by cellular tissue, which constitutes the pa-ren ́chy-ma. Each lung is retained in its place by its root, which is formed by the pulmonary arteries, pulmonary veins, and bronchial tubes, together with the bronchial vessels and pulmonary nerves.
468. The TRACHEA extends from the larynx, of which it is a continuation, to the third dorsal vertebra, where it divides into two parts, called bronchia. It lies anterior to the spinal column, from which it is separated by the œsophagus. ”