OBSERVATIONS ON HOLDING THE BREATH

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Abstract
Among 318 American aviators (France, 1918-1919) the range of time for breath-holding was 29-128 sec. (mean time 67.8 [plus or minus] 1.2 sec). Among the army group of aviators 127 were given the official altitude classification examination. It appeared that the coefficient of correlation of breath-holding with the rate at which the individual absorbs O was only [long dash]0.27 [plus or minus] 0.06, and with the lowest degree of "0 want" it was as small as [long dash]0.18 [plus or minus] 0.06. Such low coefficients as these indicate that O is by no means the primary factor in bringing on the breaking-point in breath-holding. From these and other observations Schneider concludes that for the majority of men the length of time the breath can be held is determined more by psychological than by physiological factors. When, however, the length of time is determined by physiological factors, it is the composition of the blood, its alkaline reserve and its content of CO2, which are of primary importance; while a lack of O is only a secondary cause in determining the length of the hold.

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