mbs 014

MY BREATHING SYSTEM

slow, regular respiration, even during the hardcst and most protracted efforts. As long as I am under 28 strokes per minutę, I take two breaths to each stroke (if racing, of coursc; during paddling, never morę than one breath). But if I make over 28 strokes, I only take one breath per stroke. Therefore, the highest number of respirations per minutę will be 56. This is vastly different from 230 ! And the pulsations of my hcart, whicli, according to theory, should strivc to reach the number of 224, will practically nevcr be morę than 180 even in the hardest spurts. (This number does not, of course, represent a wholc minute's work ; but, there being 30 beats in the first ten seconds after the Tinish of a spurt, this corrcsponds to 180 per minutę. A sound heart will rapiclly regain normal beat, pulsating at the end of the lirst 60 seconds at a ratę of say, if>:> beats per minutę, and at the end of the second minutę even only 120.)

The German doctor, Professor Kolb, himsclf at one time a prominent oarsman, found the heart of the rowing athlcte to beat 230 to 250 times per minutę after only one minute’s hard work. This ratę is not so alarming as Professor Zuntzs theoretical tigures would lead us to anticipate. Above the limit of health, it can only beassumed that the respiration of thesc men was too rapid and shallow.

Why Deep-breathing Exercises have latterly fallen into Discredit

The ąuestion of the usefulness or the harmfulness of deep-breathing exefcises has of late been keenly discusscd, cven in the daily papers. It is very likcly that the opponents of such cxercises liave had discouraging exj>erience themselves, or have witnessed very poor results amongst their friends.

I have mysclf now and then met peoplc whose chest or lungs were defcctive, notwithstanding that they had worked hard for the purpose of strengthening these important organs of