inspiration (in-spi-ra's hun)

The act of drawing in the breath, crowing i. The peculiar, noisy i. made in laryngismus stridulus or spasmodic croup, forced i., forcible i., difficult i. Syn.: labored i. I. in which the ordinary muscles of i. are a isted by the so-called inspiratory auxiliaries (i. e., the muscles attached to the chest which by their contraction can increase the thoracic cavity directly or indirectly by furnishing fixed support whereby other muscles may act more advantageously). If the movements become exce ively labored, there is brought into coordinate action every muscle in the body which can either directly or indirectly increase the cavity of the thorax. full i. I. in which the lungs are filled as completely as po ible (voluntarily, as in determining the amount of complemental air, or involuntarily, as in cardiac dyspnea), labored i. See forced i. [Lat, inspirare, to blow into.]