THE BREATH OF LIFE.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16424, 18 January 1919, Page 6

THE BREATH OF LIFE.

A - H - H H?raid Sf r r M ° m ' nS Fresh air, sunlight, and regular exercise, short of fatigue, are among the health rules recently drawn up at the suction of the Minister of Health bv°th e consultative council of the medical profession to assist tho people in fitting themselves to resist the influenza scourgo. It is safe to say'that tho average man is taking considerably moro care of his general health than ho was a month ago, and the question that naturally suggests itself is, "Why should wo not always take the same pains to keep fit?" To look after one's health when an epidemic threatens and neglect it at other times, is just' as inconsistent as the conduct of the individual who goes to church on Sundav, and for the rest of tho week banishes all ri/ igious principle from his dealings with his fellow-men. Physical flabbiness is the cause of more'trouble among civilised humanity than even the moral flabbiness that so often accompanies it. The ordinary colds that nine people out. of ten suffer from at least once a year, are, in most cases, preventable, and slight though they may seem compared with other illnesses, It is nevertheless a fact that they have a bad effect, on the general health, and if neglected may give rise to serious lung troubles. How serious a part lung troubles play in human ills is emphasised by "William Allan Chappie, in ono of his books. This distinguished New Zealand doctor since 1916 has been a member of the Houso of Commons. He says:—"Half the mortality in Britain over tho age,of five years is due to lung disease, and one-seventh, of the world's mortality is duo to consumption alone." In Australia, of course, climatic and housing conditions are less in favour of disease than in Britain, but for all that most of us have experienced the annua] cold, and many of us know personally of cases where neglected colds have developed into pneumonia, or even consumption. Why colds in the head and chest are so prevalent, and how it is possiblo to strengthen tho system so as to reduce the danger to a minimum, and at tho same time build up tho strength of the lungs, that means so much to human vitality, arc matters of particular interest in these days of quarantine and inoculation. A writer on matters of health and hygiono who has devoted considerablo research to tho subject is Dr. Harald Bjelke-Petorsen, of Sydney, and the published fouorth edition of his book, "How to Become Hardy" comes at an opportune time. Mr Petersen points out that it is the conditions of modern civilisation —unsuitable clothing, stuffy rooms, lack of exercise—that have weakened the chest of man, and robbed him of the hardines enjoyod by his primitive forefathers. A\ o cannot a Iter our civilisation with its city life, but to counteract its softening influences we should avoid as many weakening factors as possible, and set apart a few minutes every day for exercise, by which tho body's protective mechanism can gradually be strengthened and developed. It may startle the average man to be told that the superficial area of expanded lung surface he possesses is probably between 90 and 100 square yards, and that when he breathes normally only 12 per cent of his full lung capacity is called into use. That great reserve of lung power is there for the purpose of special efforts, such as primitive man had to make when hunting, running, or climbing. The last four years have taught us that nowadays our young men require extensive physical training to enable them to withstand the fatigue and undertake the exertions called for in war, and at the same time have shown us what miracles of endurance and vigour the well-trained'human body is capable of. For the civilian who is past the age for vigorous athletics, however, the lungs are seldom, if ever, called on to accelerate the process ol bodily oombustion by an increased supply of oxygen. -The fire of life, so to speak, is kept at a dull glow, and never blown into a blaze. The unused portions of the lungs not only lie idle, but actually beoome a source of danger by affording a resting place for germs. It is impossible for the germ of tuberculosis, for instance, to get a hold on lung tissue which is in active use. Ask yourself how many times your breathing process had been raised above normal to-day ? How many times during the last few months have you taken a really brisk, healthy walk? Just as a muscle unused wastes away, so with tho lungs. Exercise regularly filling and emptying the lungs, and thereby maintaining their elasticity and the mobility of the ribs encasing them, lias a beneficial effect on the whole body. The vitality thus gained enables one to resist colds, and makes one less susceptible to draughts and changes of temperature; As a matter of fact, if ons is vifcallv fit, and the body is producing sufficient heat to counteract tho change of air temperature, no harm comes from a draught. . The nostrils filter the air, and keep "harmful, gorm-laden dusfc froin tho lungs. Use them, not the mouth, in breathing. Colds, as Mr Petersen points out, are . caused bv germs. The human organism should be strengthened to resist those germs. And, moreover fc the habitations and surroundings of man should be made as germ-free as possible. All dust should bo removed from living or working rooms, and sunlight, which is Nature's great germicide, should be admitted freely. Public halls, partieularlv when badly lighted and ventilated, are'grcat centres for the distribution ci germs, and tha.t is why, should the pneumonic epidemic break out of quarantine, one of the first precautions by the authorities would be to eloso placcs of entertainment, and buildings where numbers of people congregate.