In Leo Kofler’s book The Art of Breathing as the Basis of Tone-Production, he tells an anecdote from one of his lectures when a physician in the audience rose and asked him if he believed that a woman could „accustom herself to this full diaphragmatic breath-taking.” This took place around the second half of the 19th century, probably in New York. Leo Kofler replied in the affirmative, and a fascinating dialogue ensued in which he enlightened the physician that “no student of anatomy could come to such a conclusion except one whose observations had been made only upon a living female wearing very tightly-laced corsets.”
The physician who had asked the question told him afterwards that he had referred to enciente (pregnant) women.
“But even under those circumstances his opinion was erroneous. I could give him the names of several married women who have taken lessons in breathing and breathing-gymnastics at such times in order to make the muscles more flexible. Even outside of these cases one sometimes hears the foolish assertion that woman cannot breathe with the diaphragm. One thing is certain I believe no one has ever denied it that woman has a diaphragm as good and as proportionately strong as that of a man. Why, then, should woman not use the diaphragm for breathing? Some so-called physiologists and vocal teachers make the distinction between the sexes in breathing that man breathes more with the diaphragm, while woman uses rib-breathing. I have never yet met the argument that woman by nature cannot breathe with the diaphragm, but that she is simply prevented from doing so by the unnatural mode of dressing prevalent, namely, that of tight-fitting dresses, and that deadly curse of civilization the tight-laced corset. If it were not for this; nobody would ever have dreamed of such a distinction between the sexes in regard to breathing.”
The physician asked a follow-up question: “But after a woman has once acquired the habit of breathing with a wrong method, can she learn full diaphragmatic breathing?”
“Yes, with very little trouble. Breathing-gymnastics will accomplish it in an astonishingly short time. But, of course, the corset must give way to sensible dressing, at least while she is learning to breathe correctly, and tight lacing must be abolished forever. I believe that it is the experience of every teacher, who uses the correct method of breathing, that it is more difficult to convince a woman of the necessity for breathing-reform than to teach her the correct method of breathing.“
Check out this wonderful article about Leo Kofler “The Dying Singer Who Cured Himself with Music” by Ted Gioia: https://www.honest-broker.com/p/the-dying-singer-who-cured-himself