74 DISEASES Glass I. 2. 2. i& 



quiek refpiration became lefs at the fame time. After this ob- 

 servation a neck-fwing was directed, and (he took the bark, 

 madder, and bone-aihes 5 and fhe continues to amend both in 

 her (hape and health. 



Delicate young ladies are very liable to become awry at many 

 boarding-fchools. This is occafioned principally by their being 

 obliged too long to preferve an erecl: attitude, by fitting on forms 

 many hours together. To prevent this, the fchool-feats mould 

 have either backs, on which they may occafionally reft them- 

 felves ; or defks before them, on which they may occafionally lean. 

 This is a thing of greater confequence than may appear to thofe, 

 who have not attended to it. 



When the leait. tendency to become awry is obferved y they mould 

 be advifed to lie down on a bed or fofa for an hour in the middle of 

 the day for many months j which generally prevents the increafe 

 of this deformity by taking off for a time the preffure on the fpine 

 of the back, and it at the fame time tends to make them grow 

 taller. Young perfons, when nicely meafured, are found to be 

 half an inch higher in a morning than at night •, as is well 

 known to thofe who inlift very young men for foldiers. This 

 is owing to the cartilages between the bones of the back become 

 ing compreffed by the weight of the head and moulders on them 

 during the day. It is the fame preffure which produces curva- 

 tures and diftortidns of the fpine in growing children, where 

 the bones are fofter than ufual *, and which may thus be relieved 

 by an horizontal pofture for an hour in the middle of the day, 

 or by being frequently allowed to lean on a chair, or to play on 

 the ground on a carpet. 



Young ladies mould alio be directed, where two ileep in % 

 bed, to change every night, or every week, their fides of the bed ; 

 which will prevent their tendency to deep- always on the fame 

 fide *, which is not only liable to produce crookednefs, but alfo 

 to occafion difeafes by the internal parts being fo long kept in 

 uniform contact as to grow together. For the fame reafon they 

 fhould not be allowed to fit always on the fame fide of the fire 

 or window, becaufe they will then be Inclined too frequently to 

 bend themfelves to one fide. 



Another great caufe of injury to the fhape of young ladies is 

 from the preffure of (lays, or other tight bandages, which at the 

 fame time caufe other difeafes by changing the form or fituation 

 of the internal parts. \i a hard part of the (lays, even a knot 

 of the thread, with which they are fewed together, is preffed 

 hard upon one fide more than the other, the child bends from 

 the fide mofl painful, and thus occafions a curvature of the fpine. 

 To counteract this effect, fuch ftays as have feweft hard parts, 



and 



