i 3 i6 



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while the stomach, as a well-known physician has said, " is literally 

 crowded out of house and home." 



A woman of medium height, 

 inclined to be stout, is repre- 

 sented in Fig. 7 in another bad 

 position. The upper part of 

 her trunk is thrust too far 

 back, the lower part too far 

 forward. This makes the 

 abdomen protrude and flat- 

 tens the lower part of the 

 spine. Women who stand thus 

 complain of having a " flat 

 back " and of " needing a little 

 bustle to give them any 

 shape." 



Worst of all, in both the 

 bad positions sketched, all the 

 supporting muscles of the 

 IG ' 4 ' 5 trunk are incorrectly and 



injuriously used. Strain is brought on the muscles of the lower back — 

 the internal as well as the 

 external muscles — frequently 

 causing backache; while the 

 front waist muscles and the 

 abdominal muscles are more 

 or less relaxed, whereas, of 

 all the muscles of the body, 

 they are required to do the 

 most important work of sup- 

 porting the vital organs and 

 should be especially firm and 

 strong. Other results of such 

 bad uses of the body are 

 heaviness of movement, un- 

 necessary fatigue, and, fre- 

 quently, nervousness and 

 serious pelvic troubles. 



The normal, true attitudes 

 in standing are shown in Figs. 

 5 and 8. In these illustra- 

 tions the body is shown so 



(a) Fig. 6 (b) 



poised that the back maintains its natural double curve (Fig. io) and 



