Shut Your Mouth and Save Your Life

by George Catlin

George Catlin discusses how closing one's mouth during sleep and day to day will foster improvement in mental and physical condition. This edition contains all of the original illustrations the author made.



Walking among and studying various Native American tribes in the 19th century, the author noticed that many of the elders possessed a serene and well-preserved appearance. The young members of the true seemed especially healthy, with an innate resistance to certain illnesses and congenital conditions. Seeing the tribe's members sleeping, he noted that they all did so with closed mouths.



Catlin pondered whether this habit contributed to the physical vigor of the people, and investigated further. After venturing back to the towns of the Midwest, he attests to witnessing how terrible many people who had practiced mouth breathing throughout life appeared, and became deeply opposed to its practice. This book details how children and young people can be encouraged against mouth breathing, and notes how different the facial countenance appears between mouth breathing people and nose breathers.



Today, the notion that mouth breathing promotes physical ugliness or decrepitude is wholly disavowed as an eccentric idea with no basis in fact. However, sleep researchers have demonstrated that breathing with the mouth open while asleep can result in more snoring and thus a lower quality of sleep and therefore health. Overall, one could venture that Catlin's ideas possess a certain merit, even if his book is an exaggeration.



Although primarily known today as a painter and traveler who became an emissary of sorts to the Plains tribes, George Catlin was also an enthusiastic if occasional writer. He admired the Native American peoples for their traditions and distinctive appearance, and took to painting them - his marked talent led to their respect for his gifts, and they duly welcomed him with friendship.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1875

About the author

George Catlin, best known artist, depicted Native Americans in the west.

This painter, author, and traveler specialized in old portraits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_...

Reviews

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A succinct book with one purpose... to inform its readers on the benefits of breathing through your Nose and Not your Mouth. I've read (and will be rereading) more "modern" science oriented books on this subject But this book is a gem. Pass it along to your friends! It's a very quick and yet effective read on this Important subject.

[Brent Winslow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting pseudo-scientific novel from the 1860s urging nasal breathing. The author describes his travels among civilized people (Americans, British), savages (Native Americans) and animals, and opines that an increasing reliance on mouth breathing among civilized people directly causes cognitive, musculoskeletal, and dental problems, and is associated high mortality at all ages. He recommends nasal breathing training from birth as a cure-all for every conceivable medical malady. The associated illustrations are offensive, and the author is a clear miasmatist - a believer that all diseases are caused by miasmas or noxious air, especially if breathed at night. All of this is unfortunate, because there is evidence for improved health and wellness from nasal breathing, from improved water retention to blood pH, but loud, impassioned pseudoscientific articles like this can turn others away from a promising research area. While breathing training is gaining ground in stress reduction and relaxation in addition to exercise, optimizing nasal vs. mouth breathing remains an untapped research area.

[Tao · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...living in their primitive state, and practising their native modes, I offer myself as a living witness, that whilst in that condition, the Native Races in North and South America are a healthier people, and less subject to premature mortality (save from accidents of War and the Chase, and also from Small-pox and other pestilential diseases introduced amongst them), than in any Civilized Race in existence."

[Mason Perkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to finish this book, but it literally said the same thing throughout: "sleep with your mouth closed!" I turned to several parts throughout and did not find one page with a different message. I don't understand how a book so homogeneous made it to 8 editions. It is sufficient to read one page.

[Rebecca Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing key to health

Everything he brings up here through his observation is correct. Following this subject of nose breathing, I later learned nitric oxide was discovered in 1998 and the discoverer won the Nobel prize that year. Nitric oxide repairs cells and it is produced and utilized by NOSE BREATHING.
I became interested in this subject after I realized my mouth would fall open during sleep and I began snoring. My quality of sleep went dramatically and I began waking up at night a lot. I started taping my mouth at night. It's taken some time to train but I am seeing progress. I also am amazed how often I had my mouth open during the day. Working on that too. Very quickly you see benefits from a full night of nosebreathing. You feel rested in the morning after the very first night.
So far everything I have checked into regarding what George Catlin says here is true and scientific support had been found for everything I have looked into. It's a shame and a crime that this issue is not focused on much or at all by modern Healthcare and modern mothers and fathers.
Also, masking people and covering nursing babies is also an insanity, based on this info.

[Evan Van Bremen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple yet hard to build new habit.

This is most effective means, not knowing the differences between mouth vs nasal breathing and the significant differences we can make today. It is never too late to start collaborating your nose more often during meditation times.

[Pachyderm Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

An open diatribe against nightly "mouth breathing" while asleep, and therefore a cautionary
tale in dire concern and warning about having the same preponderant organ wholly or entirely
open during waking hours.

[Izzy Ay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical read- no fancy stuff or words but very interesting and insightful read about the importance of breathing through your nose and not your mouth.
Definitely taking this into account for my life and doing more research and reading of my own pertaining to nose breathing!

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for the historical anecdotes

[Rachel Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and good read.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The importance of nose-breathing using the wisdom of archaic civilizations.