Respiration or Why Do We Breathe: a Lecture Delivered Before a Popular Audience Volume 14

"Respiration Or Why do We Breathe: A Lecture Delivered Before A Popular Audience" by Patrick Black, M.D. is a public-facing exposition of the science of respiration. The work argues that breathing is inseparable from life, heat, and motion, driven by the body's use of oxygen carried by the blood to fuel combustion and warmth. Black outlines how atmospheric oxygen is seized by blood globules, how this oxygen is used in tissues, and how the lungs and heart cooperate to keep the blood oxygenated while sustaining vital activity. He emphasizes that respiration is an automatic, self-regulating process that waits upon the heart, and explains the distinction between respirable and irrespirable gases. The lecture investigates the effects of anesthetics (ether, chloroform, nitrous oxide), contemplating how their inhalation can arrest respiration or alter consciousness, and it discusses the dangers of misused anesthesia. The treatise also covers the mechanics of respiration, the dual structure of the heart, the role of the medulla oblongata, and intriguing scenarios such as diving and high-altitude flight. By weaving history, literature references, and practical examples, Black aims to illuminate physiology for a popular audience and to reassess prevailing views on respiration and life.