The difficulty of breathing lies in the fact that the air consumed during breathing finds, in the direction in which it is moving, only a narrow passage into which it forces its way little by little. The cause of difficulty in breathing is, in particular, tumors in these passages, that is, in the larynx, in the tube and its branches, in the arteries, as well as in the loose substance of the lungs themselves and in their body; Of these tumors, the most difficult to breathe are those that are hard. Restriction of breathing also occurs from the abundance of juices in the passages, thick, viscous or watery, which accumulate in the lungs, or from the closure of the passages due to pressure from a neighboring organ when there is a hot tumor in the liver, stomach or spleen; this also occurs from juices pouring into the chest cavity during dropsy or due to other reasons, for example, when tumors open into the lower part of the cavity, which prevents the expansion of the lungs, or from compaction of the lung substance due to dryness, constriction or cold, affecting the lungs and the abdominal barrier. This also happens from a reason inherent in the nerves and in the abdominal obstruction, then it is more correct to call it difficulty breathing, or from smoky vapor, which further narrows the passages at the point where air enters their narrow part. Sometimes the cause of constriction in breathing is the narrowness of the chest, due to which the organs that expand during breathing do not find room. This can also be caused by a crisis of illness; The sign here is that matter is distracted upward.
Difficulty and constriction in breathing sometimes occur due to the leakage of matter from internal tumors, which passes into the head area. This is foreshadowed by the appearance of tumors behind the ears, if the situation is more favorable, or in the brain, if the case is more severe.
Signs. Signs of tumors in angina have already been described above; As for tumors located in the lungs themselves, their symptom is severe pain, and with a tumor in the muscles and membranes of the chest, the pain is stabbing: either the internal one is stronger and more painful, or the external one, which is weaker. A sign of a tumor in the cartilage of the lungs is a burning pain; Sometimes such a tumor causes a cough, and if it is hot, a fever. Signs of tumors from tonsillitis are known; they get worse when lying on your back. As for the signs of overflow with juices, if the juices have accumulated in the tube, sputum appears and the urge to cough, which brings relief, and the weakest cough is accompanied by expectoration of sputum and wheezing. If the juices are in the lungs, then the situation is the same, but only the cough comes from a deeper place, and wheezing occurs only insofar as expectoration is difficult. And if the juices have collected in the chest cavity, then they overflow from one side to the other when the lying patient changes position, and then sputum appears. At the same time, although breathing is constricted, there is no cough that would be worth taking into account.