DBESS IN RELATION TO HEALTH. 189 



the boot and shoe are increased by the plan of raising the heel and 

 letting it rest on a raised impediment of a pointed shape. Anything 

 more barbarous can scarcely be conceived. By this means the body, 

 which should naturally be balanced on a most beautiful arch, is placed 

 on an inclined plane, and is only prevented from falling forward by 

 the action of the muscles which counterbalance the mechanical error. 

 But all this is at the expense of lost muscular effort along the whole 

 line of the muscular track, from the heels actually to the back of the 

 head a loss of force which is absolutely useless, and, as I have known 

 in several cases, exhausting and painful. In addition to these evils 

 arising from the pointed heeled boot, there are yet two more. In the 

 first place, the elastic spring of the arch being broken by the heel, the 

 vibration produced by its contact with the earth, at every step, causes 

 a concussion which extends along the whole of the spinal column, and 

 is sometimes very acutely felt. In the second place, the expanse of 

 the foot being limited, the seizure of the earth by the foot is incom- 

 plete both in standing and in walking, so that it becomes a new art to 

 learn how to stand erect or to walk with safety. 



Another form of constriction in dress is that produced by the gar- 

 ter. By this pressure a line of depression is often produced quite 

 round the limb below the knee, and the course of blood through the 

 veins from the foot and leg, into the body, is seriously impeded. 

 This is one cause of varicose veins, sometimes an original cause, and 

 always a serious impediment to recovery when, from any other reason, 

 the enlarged or varicose vein is already present. The ligature or band 

 called the garter is bad in any way, but is far worse when it is worn 

 below than above the knee, for above the knee the two tendons, com- 

 monly called ham-strings, receive the pressure of a great portion of 

 the bandage, and act as bridges to the veins which pass beneath. 



In men I have seen mischief from the tight cravat and collar, the 

 pressure caused by the same leading to an obstruction to the due 

 return of the blood from the brain. This, in persons of plethoric 

 habits especially, is a danger not to be disregarded, and, though it 

 may be of comparatively rare occurrence, it is worth mentioning. I 

 have more than once in my life had occasion to see the injurious 

 results produced by it. 



I have now referred to the four varieties of pressure which are the 

 most injurious in dress : pressure at the waist ; pressure at the foot ; 

 pressure round the leg ; and pressure round the neck. I place them 

 in the order of their importance, but the first undoubtedly outweighs 

 the others altogether. 



It is actually impossible to overstate the physical injuries which 

 result from these mistakes in bodily attire. I have told some of them. 

 I reserve one which I will state before I pass to a new section. It 

 will, perhaps, influence some who are comparatively thoughtless on 

 this subject ; it will, I am sure, influence all sensible and thoughtful 



