VII. The Crematory of the System
The Organs of Respiration consist of the lungs and the
air passages leading to them. The lungs are two in number, and occupy the pleural chamber of the thorax, one
on each side of the median line, being separated from
each other by the heart, the greater blood vessels and the larger air tubes. Each lung is free in all directions,
except at the root, which consists chiefly of the bronchi,
arteries and veins connecting the lungs with the
trachea and heart. The lungs are spongy and porous,
and their tissues are very elastic. They are covered
with a delicately constructed but strong sac, known as
the pleural sac, one wall of which closely adheres
to the lung, and the other to the inner wall of the
chest, and which secretes a fluid which allows the inner
surfaces of the walls to glide easily upon each other in the act of
breathing.
The Air Passages consist of the interior of the nose, pharynx, larynx,
windpipe or trachea, and the bronchial
tubes. When we breathe, we draw in the air through
the nose, in which it is warmed by contact with the mucous membrane, which is
richly supplied with blood, and after it has passed
through the pharnyx and larynx it passes into the
trachea or windpipe, which subdivides into numerous
tubes called the bronchial tubes (bronchia), which,
in turn, subdivide into and terminate In minute
subdivisions in all the small air spaces
in the lungs, of which the lungs contain millions.
A writer has stated that if
the air cells of the lungs were spread out
over an unbroken surface, they would cover an area of fourteen thousand
square feet.
The
air is drawn into the lungs by the action of the diaphragm, a great, strong,
flat, sheet-like muscle, stretched across the chest,
separating the chest-box from the abdomen. The diaphragm's
action is almost as automatic as that of the heart, although it may
be transformed into a semi-voluntary muscle by an effort of the will. When it expands, it increases the size
of the chest and lungs, and the air rushes into the vacuum thus created. When it relaxes the chest and lungs
contract and the air is expelled
from the lungs.
Now, before considering what happens to the air in the
lungs, let us look a little into the matter of the circulation of the blood.
The blood, as you know, is driven by the heart, through the
arteries, into the capillaries, thus reaching every part of the body, which it
vitalizes,
nourishes and strengthens. It then returns by
means of the capillaries by another route, the veins, to the heart, from whence it is drawn to the
lungs.
The blood starts on
its arterial journey, bright red and rich,
laden with life-giving qualities and properties. It returns by the
venous route, poor, blue and dull, being
laden down with the waste matter of the system. It goes out like a fresh stream from the mountains; it returns as a stream of sewer water. This foul
stream goes to the right auricle of the heart. When this auricle becomes filled, it contracts and forces
the stream of blood through an opening in the right ventricle of the heart, which in turn sends it on to the lungs,
where it is distributed by millions
of hair-like blood vessels to the air
cells of the lungs, of which we have spoken.
Now, let
us take up the story of the lungs at this point The foul stream of blood is now
distributed among the millions of tiny air cells in the lungs. A breath of air is inhaled and the oxygen of the air comes in
contact with the impure blood
through the thin walls of the hair-like
blood vessels of the lungs, which walls are thick enough to hold the
blood, but thin enough to admit the oxygen to penetrate them. When the oxygen comes in contact with the blood, a form of
combustion takes place, and the
blood takes up oxygen and releases
carbonic acid gas generated from the waste products and poisonous matter which has been gathered up by the
blood from all parts of the system. The blood
thus purified and oxygenated is carried back to the heart, again rich, red and
bright, and laden with life-giving
properties and qualities. Upon reaching the left auricle of the heart, it is forced into the left ventricle, from whence it is again forced out through
the arteries on its mission of life to all parts of the system. It is
estimated that in a single day of twenty-four
hours, 35,000 pints of blood traverse the capillaries of the lungs, the blood corpuscles passing in
single file and being exposed to the
oxygen of the air on both of their
surfaces. When one considers the minute details of the process alluded to, he is lost in wonder and admiration at Nature's infinite care and intelligence.
It
will be seen that unless fresh air in sufficient quantities reaches the lungs, the
foul stream of venous blood cannot be
purified, and consequently not only is the body thus robbed of nourishment, but
the waste products which should have been destroyed are returned to the circulation and poison the system,
and death ensues. Impure air
acts in the same way, only in a lessened degree, It will
also be seen that If one does not
breathe in a sufficient quantity of air, the work of the blood
cannot go on properly, and the result is that
the body is insufficiently nourished and disease ensues, or a state of
imperfect health is experienced. The blood
of one who breathes improperly is, of course, of a bluish, dark
color, lacking the rich redness of pure
arterial blood. This often shows itself in a poor complexion. Proper breathing, and a consequent
good circulation, results in a
clear, bright complexion.
A little reflection will show the vital importance of Correct breathing.
If the blood is not fully purified by the regenerative process of the lungs, it
returns to the arteries in an abnormal
state, insufficiently purified and
imperfectly cleansed of the impurities which it took up on its return
journey. These impurities if returned to the
system will certainly manifest in some form of disease, either in a form of
blood disease or some disease
resulting from impaired functioning of some insufficiently nourished
organ or tissue.
The blood, when properly exposed to the air in the lungs, not only has
its impurities consumed, and parts with its noxious carbonic
acid gas, but it also takes up and absorbs a certain quantity of oxygen which
it carries to all parts of the body, where it is needed in
order that
Nature may perform her processes properly. When
the oxygen comes in contact with the blood, it unites with the haemoglobin of the blood and is carried to every cell, tissue, muscle and organ, which it
invigorates and strengthens,
replacing the wornout cells and tissue
by new materials which Nature converts to her use. Arterial blood,
properly exposed to the air, contains about 25 per cent of free oxygen.
Not only is every part vitalized by
the oxygen, but the act of digestion depends materially upon a certain amount
of oxygenation of the food, and this is only accomplished by the oxygen in the
blood coming in contact with the food and producing a certain form of
combustion. It is therefore necessary that a proper supply of oxygen be taken
through the lungs. This accounts for the fact that weak lungs and poor digestion
are so often found together. To grasp the full significance of this statement,
one must remember that the entire body
receives nourishment from the food assimilated, and that imperfect
assimilation always means an imperfectly nourished body. Even the lungs themselves depend upon the same source for
nourishment, and if through imperfect breathing the assimilation becomes
imperfect, and the lungs in turn become weakened, they are rendered
still less able to perform their work
properly, and so in turn the body becomes further weakened. Every
particle of food and drink must be oxygenated before it can yield us the proper
nourishment, and before the waste products
of the system can be reduced to the
proper condition to be eliminated
from the system. Lack of sufficient oxygen means imperfect nutrition, imperfect elimination and imperfect health. Verily, "breath is life."
The combustion arising from the
change in the waste products generates heat
and equalizes the temperature of the body. Good breathers are not apt
to "take cold," and they generally have plenty of good warm blood
which enables them to resist the changes in the outer temperature.
In addition to
the above-mentioned important processes, the act of breathing gives exercise to
the internal organs and muscles, which feature is
generally overlooked by the Western writers on the subject, but which the
Yogis fully appreciate.
In imperfect or shallow breathing, only a
portion of the lung cells are brought into play, and a great portion of the
lung capacity is lost, the system suffering in proportion to the amount of
under-oxygenation. The lower animals, in their native state, breathe naturally,
and primitive man undoubtedly did the same. The abnormal manner of living
adopted by civilized man- the shadow that follows upon civilization-has robbed
us of our natural habit of breathing, and the race has greatly suffered thereby.
Man's only physical salvation is to "get back to Nature."
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