BODILY DEFORMITIES IN GIRLHOOD. 327 



and invert the ankles, and counteract all the deformities ; while sitting 

 on chairs with the lec-s crossed one over the other directly favors them. 

 It is probable that most children spend too much of their time on their 

 feet, and that their power of walking is very much overrated. Run- 

 ning is the natural gait of all young animals, and children always run 

 if left to play by themselves. The dire effect of standing and walking 

 in producing flat-foot in children is shown by the following statistics, 

 taken from my paper on " Flat-foot," in the St. George's Hospital Re- 

 ports (1872-74) : Of 10,000 children, between the ages of eight and 

 thirteen years, which were examined, about one third were school- 

 children living in country towns and agricultural districts, another 

 third were school-children living in manufacturing towns, and the re- 

 mainder were factory-children. Among the first, 17'1 cases per 1,000 of 

 flat-foot occurred ; among the second, 30'7 cases per 1,000 ; and among 

 the third i. e., the factory children, who were employed five hours 

 daily standing, walking, and carrying weights 79 cases per 1,000 of 

 flat-feet were found. Among the latter the deformity was found to 

 increase rapidly with age i. e., with the longer period of employment 

 in factories. Thus : 



Of the age of 8 years, 15'1 per 1,000 had flat-foot. 



" 9 " 45-6 " " 



10 " 51-2 " " 



u n 104-2 " " 



" 12 " 132-4 " " 



At the period when these observations were made (1873) children were 

 allowed to commence work in factories at the age of eight years, in- 

 stead of ten as now, and the low rate of 15*1 per 1,000 represents the 

 normal rate before the strain of labor has begun to tell on the chil- 

 dren's feet. 



There can be little doubt that children are made to stand and walk 

 far too much both at home and at school. Standing at lessons, parade- 

 exercise, and much of the military drill in schools are injurious to both 

 boys and girls, and especially to the latter. Instead of listless stand- 

 ing about, or taking long walks with adults, children should be per- 

 mitted and encouraged to play lively games, which they will generally 

 do even if left to themselves, to dance, and to perform short but spir- 

 ited gymnastic exercises with apparatus. Exercises which develop the 

 muscles of the feet and ankles, such as hopping and skipping, are es- 

 pecially necessary for girls ; and still better than these are the admi- 

 rable exercises preparatory to stage-dancing taught at the National 

 Training-School for Dancing.* These exercises are directed to the 

 development of the muscles and the free action of the joints of the 

 lower limbs, and are far preferable to the languid movements of or- 

 dinary dancing. For the development of the muscles of the trunk and 



* Under the direction of Madame Katti Lanner. 



