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Show MOUTH BREATHING. A once-celebrated pamphlet with the title "Shut Your Mouth!" set forth to our grandfathers the advantages of breathing through the nose and the injuries in-juries that might result from mouth-breathing, mouth-breathing, says the Literary Digest. Tho latter, however, was treated merely mere-ly ns a pernicious habit that might be oercome. whereas it is now generally general-ly recognized as the result of abnormal conditions, generally nasal obstruction. obstruc-tion. Dr. J. T. Case states the conditions condi-tions and rosults very clearly. He says: "Normally one should breathe, not through the mouth but through the nose. The nostrils, while apparent-ly apparent-ly small at the external opening, soon widen out into a large, double air- chamber a great deal larger than one would suppose without having studied into tho matter. The air current, after traver&ing this nasal chamber, then makes a sharp bend into the nasopharynx naso-pharynx (the expanded upper part of the throat). The air then passes through the pharynx, past the tonsIl3. and into the larynx and windpipe, and is then distributed to the lungs. Into the nasal cavity project three scroll- like bones, called 'turbinates,' lined by a sort of erectile tissue, which is rich- ! ly supplied with blood-vessels These E turbinates are like the flues of a boil- er, affording a large mol6t and -warm surface by which air is exposed to heat, so that in traveling a distance of scarcely more than two Inches it is both heated and mostened. Two-thirds of a pint of water is daily taken up from the nasal mucous membrane by the air passing into the lungs. The stiff hairs in tho nasal openings strain out the coarser dust particles, while the finer dust and germ-laden specks adhere to the moist walls of the nasal or pharyngeal cavities, as one can easily eas-ily demonstrate by blowing the nose after an hour's work in the dust The warming and moistening of the air thus prevents the entrance into the bronchi of cold, dry, dusty air which would be irritating to the delicate Un bone becoming unusually prominent. The lack of oxygen causes a fall in the number of red blood-cells from the normal (100 per cent.) to 70 or CO per cent, often less; and a diminution of the coloring-matter of the blood -by one-third, one-third, or even one-half. When normal breathing is restored and the lungs are properly ventilated by removal of the nasal obstruction, there is brought about a gradual improvement in tho quality of the blood. Many coughs attributed to the stomach, stom-ach, to teething,' to nervousness, and other causes are due to the presence of adenoids. "Earache is a frequent accompaniment accompani-ment of adenoids, and deafness is often a result." "Te presence of adenoids or enlarged enlarg-ed tonsils constitutes an open door to invasion of the body by harmful germs. In cases of mouth-breathing the delicate deli-cate lining of the pharjnx in the region re-gion of the adenoids and enlarged ton- , slls Is never normal. Tho nasal secre- ' tlon, which is destructive to bacteria, Is absent, and thus the invasion of germs is facilitated. Whooping-cough, Whooping-cough, measles, scarlet fever, pneumonia, pneu-monia, bronchitis, and asthma more readily attack children with adenoid growths and enlarged tonsils. The germs which cause acute rheumatism may thus find entry, causing an attack of rheumatism followed In many cases by life-long invalidism, due to heart-disease, heart-disease, for one-third of the persons suffering from acute rheumatism de-, de-, vclop chronic heart-disease." Ing of the lungs. In the case of the mouth-breather, the protective influence influ-ence of this warming, moistening, and purifying process is lost There is also a nasal secretion which helps to destroy de-stroy the bacteria which enter with tho air. The sense of smell, located in the nostrils, should also warn against the presence of poison-laden air just as the sense of taste warns us against undesirable food." Mouth breathing. Dr. Case tells us, Is generally the result of obstruction of the nasal cavities, either by foreign bodies, by enlarged tonsils, by growths such as adenoids or nasal polpl, or by deformity of the nasal bones. Savs Dr. Case: "Mouth breathers waken in the morn, ing with open, dry mouth, foul-smelling breath, persistent hoarseness, sometimes headaches and a loss of appetite. Tho physical expression is characteristic and Indicates mental listlessness. The nose becomes pinched and the root of the nose (between (be-tween the eyes) flattened; the lips are thickened ind the upper Up is shortened shorten-ed sojjthat the upper front teeth show. On account of tho nasal obstruction, the lungs are insufficiently expanded and the chest assumes the characteristic character-istic deformity called 'pigeon breast,' tho lower part of the chest and the sides loin.;; depressed and the breast |