MODEL RELEASED. Artificial respiration training. Medical students practising artificial respiration, or the kiss of life, on mannikins. This technique is used on people who have either stopped breathing altogether or are only breathing shallowly. The students have checked for blockages in the mouth and airways, before tilting the heads back. While pinching the nostrils shut, they are preparing to fill the mannikins' lungs with a deep breath of air. This is done by placing their open mouths tightly over those of the mannikins. A breathing rate of around 12 breaths a minute should be maintained until the victim is breathing normally.