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Maltby, F. S.

Weinzirl, John

English

University of New Mexico

University of New Mexico
UNM Digital Repository
UNM Bulletins Scholarly Communication - Departments
1901
Some observations on the lung capacity of young
people living in New Mexico
F. S. Maltby
John Weinzirl
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Recommended Citation
Maltby, F. S. and John Weinzirl. "Some observations on the lung capacity of young people living in New Mexico." University of New
Mexico biological series, v. 2, no. 2 2, 2 (1901). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/unm_bulletin/36
(' ..
SOME 'OBSERVATIONS ON THE LUNG CAPACITY OF
. ." . ,
YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN NEW MEXICO.!
. ')
z
BY F. S. )\,[ALTBy.2 COMPLETED BY JOHN WEIN?:IRL,
ALBUQUERQ1.iE, N. M.
, In the spring of 1898, regular physical examinations were
begun in connection with the gymnastic exercises of 'the students
in the University of New Mexico. A review of the Gata thus
, obtallled, seemea. to indicate that. our western youngmReople h~e
a lung capacity considerably above the eastern average for the
same age. We found, upon inquiry, a popular belief that'""fl1e
hig'h altitude of our vicitlity (3) produced increased lung ex-'
pansion. Among physicians generally it is held that pneumonia
and phthisis dear up better and more quickly in high than in,
low altitudes. Dr. S. E. Solly ,says:" "The amount of air taken
in at each breath becomes greater and the air-cells, many of'
which are, at lower altitltdes, often unused, are dilated (4)."
It appeared, therefore, that, our da'ta exemplified ala,~, but
the proof of this law, or the extent of its workings, could nocbe
ascertained from the limited literature at our command. We
determined to extend our observations relative to lung capacity
t? young people in other schools of the Territory, and fro'ffi th'e,se
iHad the author lived to write this paper, a much more complete
presentation would have been made. A short paper presenting the facts
was read before the Territorial Teachers' Association in 1899, the out-
line of which has been followed as far as practicable. It is not known
what the author's explanation of the phenomenon observed was. The
editor assumes responsibility for what is given undei this ·heading,~
JOHN WEINZIRL, Editor.'8f . '
, 2Deceased. . ,
3The 'altitude of Albuquerque, N. M" IS about 5000 feet.
4Medical Climatology, p. 43, 1897.' '
2
sources a' considerable body, of data has bee~ accumulated .(1).
These data have been tabulated and a summary will be recorded
presently. .
, The instrument used for determining lung capacities was
that designed by Dr. Charles Dennison and inanufacturedin
Denver, Colorado. This instr1.1ment is· essentially a pair of bel-
lows which'are inflated, and the volume is read on a sliding scale.
No opportunity, was afforded for comparing. this instrument with
other makes. A somewhat crude test or ch~ck upon it in'dicated
a low reading, varying from 5 to 10 per cent. below the actual.
If a l?w~r reading than the actual is recorded, this is probably
due to slIght leakage. Considerable care had to be exercised in
preventing such leakage. ",
Some tests were also m,ade relative to lung strength, the
'Dennison manometer (mercury) being used.' Several 'ofthe
young men in the University~who were native born, could easily
blow the mercury out of the instrument. In attempting to use
a Sargent manometer, no satisfactory tests could be obtained:
~or these reasons the tests were not continued', though it is };le~
heved they would. have' proved of great interest and value. It
my be added that in a letter from Dr: Dennison, he stated that
no person' had ever been known who was capable of blowing
the mercury out of his instrument. .'
. In making compariso~s,. Dr. Sargent's' Anthropometric
charts f( '. men, and the Oberlin charts for women were used as
standards. For this purpose, two charts were constructed-one
giving the normal according to age and height, the other for age
apd weight. These two normals were averaged for a final normal
for each of our cases. It was tl1ougl;tthat such a normal 'would
afford a more just basis for comparison, than one based upon
fewer elements. . . , .
. In' making the above comparisons, it was thought advan-
tageous to divide the persons whose l capacities had been taken
into three groups, as follows': ...' ,
I
. .lCr~dit is due to President' E. L. H~witt of the Las Vegas Normal
UnIversIty, for ,a. conSIderable number of examinations. made at that
sShool;.also to ~lss.Catherine Fields, Director of the Wo'man's Gymna-
Slt1lJl of the UnIversIty of New Mexico, who made the' lung tests in the
SprIng of 1900; also to Professors W. S. Cummings and Sarah Brooke
Farquhar of Swarthmore Co}lege, Penn., for furnishing extensive lists
of measurements for comparIson. For these and other favors especial
thanks are due. " ' ,
I'"
3
Group I. To contain all persons native born.
Group II. To contain all persons not native born, but
who had reside(f here two years or more. .
.Group III. To contain all persons who had lived [lere less
than two years.
. An examinat'ion of' groups II and III showed them: to be
nearly identical, so that' they have been joined in group II. It
must be added that the number of persons in group III, as orig-
inally constructed, was relatively small-two small to permit the
positive assertion that persons do 110t gain in lung. capacity '(rela-
tive to eastern standards) after two years of residence at our alti-
tude. It does appear, how~ver, that in normal. cases any gain in
lung capacity, due to 'altitude; takes place within two years. Our
table inc1tlded a number of persons who had' resided in the West
for about six l;lOntl1s only. It' ~v6uld appear, too, that the alti~
tude ~ctually produced an increased lung capacity witl;in that'
relatively sl10rt time. It is not ineant by this that abnormal
cases, such as present histories of pneumonia, phthisis" etc., show
an increase within the time above ~11entionec1, or that they may
not increase after a much longer period.' Such cases necessarilv
present widely different histories in this respect, m~ny of tl~~1;1
never showing any increase either relative or absolute.
During the course of our examinations probably about 300
cases were, examined; but the' data of part of these have been,
lost, and a number have been excluded for lack of complete'
ness (1). It has not been thought worth while to record the
entire, list of ex:ullinations; but a summary of the 209 cases, di-
vided into two groups as before mentioned, i~ given below.,"
,TABLE I.-GIVING SUMMARY OF' THE MEASUREMENTS TAKEN.
Av~ral!e Average Average
.\.verage Averag-e Average Normal Actual Average Number
Class, Age Weig-ht. Heilfbt. Lunlf' Lung Differ- Reside"nee. of
(yro,) (lbs.) (inches. ) Capacity CapaCity ence. (yrs.) Cases.
ku. il1,)~ (cu. in.)
-----
----
---
I. 16.03 112.6 62.4 150. 201.4 51.4 Native 85born.
II. 18. 114.5 . 63.3 161.7 . 206.1 44.4 7.8 124
'.
1Had the write;' lived' to writ'e this p~per, undoubtediy he co~ld have
completed his cases from the very full data that were taken. The origi··
nal notes having been lost, the editor has been forced to rely almost
wholly upoti. tables constructed'with other points in view.'-:ED.
deed, it probably does not account for the major part even. To
what factor, then, shall this increase b,e ascribed? The usual
answer, 'and probably the correct one, is altitude. ' This appears
'a most Intural inference, since altitude produces such profou.nd
changes in atmospheric pressure and in the amotint of oxygen
present in the air. The barometric pressure for Albuquerque
is approximately' 25 in. of' mercur'y, the corresponding pressure
at sea-ievel 'being 30 in. This means a much rarer, atlllosphere,'
which might be expected to exert an influence' upon the lungs,
since they have to do very largely with the handling .o(air.
. The usual ,explanation given for the phenomenon ,we have
observed, is as follows: The supply of aii' (or oxygen) being di-
minished, it becomes necessary for the lungs to take in ,larger
quantities in order to satisfy the demands 0: t,le tissues for oxy-
gen. It is plain enough that air at this altitude contains<about 1-6
less oxygen per volume than at sea-level. We might· expect
frori1 this, that the increased lung expansion shOtild 'be about
. 1~6 of the normal capacity. In fact, however, the increase i's
about 1-3 over normal.
. '
But in view of the fact that the union between oxygen and
hemoglobin'is chemical, and consequently indepenqent of the
law of absorption of gases due to partial pressure: (I), it is not'
easy to see why an increase in IU;lgcapacify should take place'
here.' Further, it is 'known that the'internal and external pres-
sures soon neutralize each other, so that diminished, external
press'ure is, quickly followed by decreased internal pressure. Of
course this has no effect upon the amount of oxygen brought
to the lungs, but it is a fact that n'eeds to be borne in mind in
tilis connection. It is also ,knovll1 that the partial-pressure within
,the lungs is not as great as that of the external air, being esti-
mated at 10 and 20 per cent. respectively. So far as we are
, <lware, ther-e, is as yet no evidence that the partial-pressure of the
oxygen within the lungs varies with altittlde. Only this much
appears certain, that the amount of oxygen constantly 'present in
the lungs: is far i11: excess, of that required by, the body. That
nature should be lavish and keep a large excess of oxygen in the
lungs, might be expected; otherwise slight changes' in the· at-
mosphere such as result from the presence of other gases, dimin-
lSee the editor's paper in this bulletin, on "The Effect of Altitude
Upon the Blood."
.
n
Normal Actual
Ag~. 'Wei2'bt. Height. Lunj!' Lung Difference. Residence.
, Capacity, ·Capacity.
14-10 106 64 112 240 128 Native born.
15 121 62 113 225 112, ..
13-10 57 65 170 105 ..
17-7 60 117 220 1113 ..
16-7 59 102 250 148 ..
18 61 127 235 108 ..
23 116 64 175 294 119 ..
17 154, 72.5 303 415 112 ..
17 115 67 .201 310 109 ..
16 - 122 ' 63.5 123 290 167 ..
17 131 66 147 260 113 ..
16 156 70.4 281 410 129 5yrs. '
21 150 71 286 400 114 7 u .
19 . 142 707 268 390 112 18 "19 142 ,69 253 360 107 2 ..
17, 117 65 185 255 170 5 ..
22 120 63.6 163 257 112 2 ..
19 170 72,S 323 450 127 8 mos.
From the table it' is seen that young people residing in a
high' altitude for some time show an absolute increa,se over
eastern st;:indards of 44.4 cubic inches of hmg capacity over per-
SOI~S residing' at low altitudes. Similarly those born in a high
altitude show an absolute increase of 51.4 cu. itl., or 7 cu. in.
'over those of group II. These figures have l~eference to normals
,for persons of corresponding ,"-ge, 'height and weight, as, pre-
viously 'xplained., - '
The great increase over normal is certainly most remark-
,able. 'This fact is especially emphasized by the original tables'
which give only 9 per cent. of the cases as falling below normal. '
It is still further; en1phasized by, the jojJm~ing indl Yldual cases
o( exceptionally high lUllg-' Cdp~'cities,- '
TABLE n.-GIvING SOME EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH LU'NG 'CAPACITIES.
~ .
The great divergellce fr01:'1' the standards w:ually given,
merits comment. In the first ,place, it is not believed that the
entire increase' in lung capacity is due to altitude changes. It is
well known that persons residing in the country present higher
__ averages ··'an those raised in the city. .Undoubtedly our. weste~n
yOl1!lg people who lead a very free and out-door life, owe part'
of their superior lung capacity to this fact. It is difficult to esti-
. mate the extent of the workings of this factor; but it is not be-
lieved, however, ,that it can account for the entire increase, In-
- NI~, I11 1
1"1
iilt 4 5
ished pressUl'e, etc., "lOuld p'resent very grave, cOllditions. That
alteration.> iii 'these factors may t'a!(e place, wi,th relatively little
,or no inconvenience, is a familiar fact. l'erhapsin keeping up
her l:eIatively ,large excess ,of oxygen in the lungs, l1ature re-'
quires that an increase in capacity shall 'take place, so as to guard
against future changes in this regal'd, which might prove serioi.ls.
PRACTi'CAL APPLICATIONS.
Whatever the explanation may be with respect to the rela-
tively l~rgJ:: increase in lung capacity that we have, observed,it
is not difficult tasee how this fact is of practical advantage to
medicine, and otherwise. In, the case of phthisis, pneumonia, and
possibly asthma, the expansion of the air cells of the lungs must
aid,materially in' dearing them up. 'In other words, the thor-
ough aeration promotes the removal of exudates.' It i~ very
probable, too, that the' removal of the e,.xudates and degenera-
tive materials permits the healing of lesions. This may be' due
in part'to the removal of bacteria and their destructive influences.
, At any rate, th'e great reduction in numbers must be regarded as
of decided advantage:
It is quite likely, also, that the toxin absorption is much
reduced. ' This is more especiallytl'ue of phthisis. The fact'is
'frequently observed that fever and more especially night sweats,
soon disappear after coming to a high altitude. To what extent
diminished toxin absorption can account for this, cannot b~
stated; but if toxins are held accountable for much of the dam-
,mage done in phthisis, and if these are n~ore tomplet'ely removed
at high altitude's, then we ca'n explain in part how it is that cases
of phthisis with cavities and numerous ba<.:illi present, can still
live for years in our climate, or may even be cured.
In this connection, the author's history may be of inter'est
He came to New Mexico December, 1896. having ~ne lung com-
pletely consolidated and numerous bacilli present in the sputum. '
The lung capacity taken nearly a year later, was only 125 cu. in.
During the three following years, nearly ali the syrriptoms im-
proved. ,The work of director of the gymnas'ium was regul~rlY'
performed, and tennis and base ball freely indulged' iiI. Up·to
the timeO£: taking pleurisy, there 'seemed t be consta~t Im-
provement.
\ "
7
Whether more oxygen is absorbed by the blood in conse-
quenceof increased' lung capacity, must for the present ~em~in
a mooted question. Certain it is, however, that the total quantity
within the lungs is very materially increased, and this undoubt~
eclly serves an important purpose. . . .
A point apparently not generally appreciated, IS the cor-
rectiveforce exerted upon yoimg people with poorly dev~loped
chests. Undoubtedly it is from this class that the army of tuber-
culous cases which, comes to the arid southwest, is largely re-
cruited. If, the boys, and girls of high 'school age, who are
growing rapidly, but show weak rungs, poorly developed chests,
arid a tendency to take cold, could be ,sent for a year or two to a
hiO'h altitude, it can confidently be predicted that many 'would
de~~lop into strong, healthy individuals, instead of weaklings,
who soon join th,e vast army of sufferers from th'e white plague.
0'


Some observations on the lung capacity of young people living in New Mexico

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Some observations on the lung capacity of young people living in New Mexico

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