Sobbing

Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 9: Bound to Swansea, p. 540

Sobbing is merely a modification of the ordinary movements of respiration excited by mental emotions. It is the consequence of a series of short convulsive contractions of the diaphragm, and is usually accompanied by a closure of the glottis, preventing the entrance of air into the lungs.

Source scan(s): p. 0553