Why We Cough.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 76

Why We Cough.

I One of the most interesting facts about the human body (remarks Popular Science i Sittings) is its power of self-protection and self-preservation. Among the most common of tlHese- are tfae coogli, th-e sneeze, and the sigh. Every one is familiar with < these acts; yet few people ever ask themselves the cause, and fewer still could exj plain them. The cough is merely a blast of air propelled from the lungs in such a ' manner as to dislodge forcibly somo foreign 5 substance which has been dfrawn into the ' throat, the w ; ndpipe, or the tubes leading to tihi© lungs. The membranes lining these J parte of the body are very sensitive, and j when a foreign matter comes in contact ! with them an alarm message is at once sent ' to the nervous " headquarters," and the • result is the sudden, spasmodic expulsion of breath which is called a cough. Y er V j often the ccugh is produced by the irrij tation of the accumulation of mucous on the surface mentioned. In this_case, as in ' the case of a foreign body, the cough is merely a means of expelling the matter. A sneeze is exactly like a cough, save that the obstruction ooours in the nostrils owing , to the deposit of some irritant or foreign , matter, and that the blast of air is thrown ' out through the nose instead of through the throat and mouth. Why do we sigh? • When grieved or depressed the tendency is Ito hold the breath. This means that the ! body sufibrs for oxygen ; and the long, i d«ep breath which we call a sigh is merely : a means by which the body obtains for ' ifcself the necessary amount of oxygen.