this curious difference of breathing in men
and women, the following anecdote, which has the recommendation of
being strictly true, may perhaps amuse the reader. Some time ago a
troupe of "Female Minstrels," calling themselves, I believe, "The
American Amazons," made a tour through this country. Their faces
were blackened in the orthodox fashion, and they were in male
attire, wearing tight-fitting garments of a peculiar kind. Two
friends, both medical men, went to hear them (or perhaps to see
them, I am not sure which), when Mr. A remarked that two of the
performers were men. Mr. B did not see it, even when the
individuals were pointed out to him, and asked his friend for the
reasons for his opinion. "Why," said Mr. A, "I see it by their
abdominal breathing!" And sure enough Mr. B now saw it too, and
there was no mistake about it; for in the two suspected
individuals the abdomen was evidently moving in respiration, while
in all the others no movement was perceptible excepting that of
their chests.

[Illustration: PLATE IV.

DIAGRAMS ILLUSTRATING THE VARYING CAPACITY OF THE CHEST, ACCORDING TO
THE METHOD IN WHICH THE LUNG IS INFLATED.

From Mr. Lennox Browne's "Medical Hints on the Production and
Management of the Singing Voice," by permission of Messrs Chappell
and Co.

The front outline A of the shaded figure represents the chest after
full expiration; the black continuous line A gives the increase in
size of the chest, and the descent of the diaphragm, indicated by
the curved transverse lines, in full abdominal respiration. The
dotted line C shows the retraction of the diaphragm and of the
abdominal muscles in forced clavicular inspiration. The varying
thickness of the line B indicates the fact of healthy breathing in
a man being more abdominal than in woman. The outlines of forced
inspiration in both sexes are remarkably similar.
]

The combined forms of midriff and rib breathing are the right method of
inspiration, while collar-bone breathing is absolutely wrong, and should
never be made use of. The reasons of this are not far to seek. The lower
part of each lung is large and broad, while the upper part is
cone-shaped, and very much smaller. It is self-evident, therefore, that
by downward and sideways expansion (enlarging the _lower_ part of the
lungs) you will inhale a much greater quantity of air than by drawing up
the collar-