Practical observations on distortions of the spine, chest, and limbs : together with remarks on paralytic and other diseases connected with impaired or defective motion / by William Tilleard Ward.

  • Ward, William Tilleard.
Date:
1822
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Practical observations on distortions of the spine, chest, and limbs : together with remarks on paralytic and other diseases connected with impaired or defective motion / by William Tilleard Ward. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    its external appearance assumes a circular form; in expiration it aproaches more to that of an ellipsis. The only difference with respect to the muscu- lar agency in respiration is, that inspiration is effected solely hy muscular power^ whilst in expi- ration the influence of gravitation is superadded to it. In childhood^ the constant inclination to active exertion induces a corresponding activity of the muscles employed in respiration^ by which their strength is increased and the chest expanded to its utmost extent, thereby allowing ample space for the dilatation of the lungs, and the absorption of that portion of the air which is essential to the purposes of vitality.* In children, on the contrary, who from defective alimentation have not the same muscular strength, the inclination to exercise is necessarily less, and as the effect of inaction is to do away with the necessity of taking in more than an ordinary in- spiration, the muscles connected with that process will become debilitated, the abdominal and other * It is, perhaps, not improbable, that to this salutary exer- cise of the muscles of ti e che>t, which is necessarily em- ployed in the inhalation of oxygen and other factitious airs, may some of the good effects which have been ascribed to their use be traced.