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MY BRKATHING SYSTEM

sufter from an almost unąuenchable thirst. This produces a habit of excessivc drinking—a practice which is liable to injure not alonc thc pocket, but also the healtli.

The reasons, then, for nasal breathing are many and wcighty, and this mcthod ought, therefore, to be adoptcd as much as possible. In a later cliapter, " Hints for Athletes," I mention some cases where it is, unfortunately, necessary to breathe through thc rnouth. But it is then the morę impor-tant for these athletes to adopt the normal nasal method both by day and night, \vhenever they are not occupied in their spccial sport. Moreover, thcre is also an sesthetic reason why we should breathe through the nose. Running about with an open mouth always imparts an idiotic appear-ance. In Dcmnark we say of such an individual, that “ he resembles a cod-iish in rainy weather.”

Many persons at first find it difficult to obtain sufficient air through the nose. Yery often the reason is that they close the “ wings ” of the nostrils instead of distcnding tliem. They don't know that in order to get air into the lungs, it is sufficient simply to open the nose and e.\pand the thorax, which, by creating a vacuum inside, will force the air to rush in. They imagine that the air must be sucked in, and that such sniffing should be performed with as big a noise as possible. But by this suction the wings of the nose, and the outer walls a little higher up as well will be drawn inwards and pressed against the middle wali of the nose, and the nostrils be thus closed. The wings and outer walls of the nose consist of muscles, which should be trained so that they are able to movc outwards and thereby give free and almost soundless passage to the air. Many persons nowadays have lost their ability to move these muscles. But after a few weeks’ practice it is in most cases possible to regain this power. Fig 2 shows a well-opened nose, whilst Fig. 3 shows how the nostrils are closed when the air is

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