356 



SPINE SPINELLE. 



keeping the body straight, it becomes curved, and, 

 if remedies are not applied in season, this unnatural 

 curvature increases daily, and permanent distortion 

 at length takes place. If the cartilages and liga- 

 tures suffer relaxation, as in case of a debilitated 

 state of the body, the spine cannot, after every mo- 

 tion, resume its proper position, and it may easily 

 happen that some vertebrae become partially dislo- 

 cated, and thus a disposition to distortion takes 

 place, because the part of the spine over these ver- 

 tebrae is deprived of its proper support, and must 

 incline to one side. The muscles of the back, situ- 

 ated on both sides of the spine, equal in number 

 and form, and destined not only to execute the 

 manifold movements of the trunk, but also to 

 maintain, by the equilibrium of their power, the 

 straight direction of the spine, frequently occasion 

 distortions, by losing their vigour ; for the spine, in 

 this case, wanting its natural support, inclines side- 

 ways or backwards. The same effect may be pro- 

 duced by too frequent or too continued use of one 

 set of muscles in a particular way ; for the spine 

 becomes at last permanently fixed in the posture 

 which it has been compelled to assume during the 

 exercise. This survey shows us the various causes 

 of distortions, and the proper means for preventing 

 them. The causes may be reduced to diseases and 

 injudicious habits. The diseases of children which 

 may occasion distortions of the spine are chiefly 

 scrofula and rickets, so often connected with it, and 

 general debility. These diseases may be best pre- 

 vented by the use of food easily digestible by pure 

 air, hard beds not too warm, frequent exercise, 

 great cleanliness, frequent bathing, washing and 

 rubbing the skin, and similar requisites of a good 

 physical education. The muscles of the back are 

 often debilitated by compelling children, particularly 

 weakly ones, to sit up in a constrained posture, 

 which distresses the spine, and produces a sinking 

 and bending in search or relief, or by allowing chil- 

 dren too little free movement and exercise, and 

 obliging them continually to sit still and read the 

 surest mode of producing physical and intellectual 

 cripples. The use of corsets also contributes much 

 to the weakness of the dorsal muscles, and conse- 

 quently to distortion of the spine. If the shoulders 

 are continually supported artificially by a corset, 

 the dorsal muscles, destined by nature to keep the 

 spine straight, remain inactive, and lose their power, 

 the body becomes unable to support itself without 

 the corset, and a sinking and bending take place as 

 soon as it is removed. If to this is added the con- 

 tinual command, perhaps accompanied by threats, 

 to sit straight, which has become actually impossi- 

 ble to the child, its exertions result in nothing but 

 a curvature of the spine, which is therefore so fre- 

 quent in girls of the higher classes, but in boys of 

 the same families, who are neither tormented with 

 corsets, nor admonished so repeatedly to sit straight, 

 is much rarer. The second cause of distortions 

 injudicious habits deserves particular attention, 

 because much may be done to prevent them. The 

 habit of many nurses to carry children always on 

 the same arm, accustoms the child to incline always 

 towards one side, and to sleep in one position, from 

 which a distortion of the spine naturally arises in 

 the course of time. The bad position of the body 

 in some amusements and occupations ; for instance, 

 the manner in which young people si'Tin writing, 

 reading, drawing, sewing, embroidering, playing on 

 the flute, violin, harp and guitar; the habit of cros- 

 sing the feet in standing, or of standing on one foot ; 



the habit of lying crooked in bed, and even the 

 habit of girls to spend a long time in a constrained 

 position dressing their own hair, may occasion 

 distortion of the spine. Every one-sided motion, 

 often repeated, may produce a tendency to such 

 distortion, and, the tendency once existing, the evil 

 increases every day. This distortion, besides dis- 

 figuring the body, and unfitting the subject for cer- 

 tain avocations, also tends to produce inflammation 

 of the lungs, dropsy of the chest, pulmonary con- 

 sumption and apoplexy, a general disturbance of the 

 health, and early death. With women, it often 

 gives rise to painful labours, and sometimes makes 

 a natural delivery impossible. The proper means 

 of guarding against distortion we have already sug- 

 gested in the directions respecting food, air, exer- 

 cise and cleanliness, the prevention of ill habits on 

 the part of nurses, and of the children themselves, 

 and in the important rule, not to compel a straight 

 carriage of the body by the wearing of corsets, nor 

 by the continual injunction to stand and sit straight, 

 as both tend directly to produce the evil intended 

 to be prevented. It is important to detect a dis- 

 tortion of the spine as early as possible. It is there- 

 fore the duty of mothers and governesses to ex- 

 amine often the body of children. The child should 

 be undressed, and placed in such a way (not lying 

 down) that the entire back may be seen. The 

 head must be held straight, the face directed for- 

 wards ; the arms must hang down, and the whole posi- 

 tion must be as easy as possible. Then the verte- 

 brae must be struck slightly with the hand, to dis- 

 cover if there is a prominence or a sensation of pain 

 in any place. The examiner should then proceed 

 to the parts of the body on each side of the spine, 

 which ought to be perfectly equal. The neck, the 

 shoulders, and the hips, are to be looked at : if the 

 latter are uneven, the hip joints and feet must be 

 also tried. The examiner should also see whether 

 the breast-bone be precisely in the middle of the 

 breast, and whether it forms a straight line, whether 

 the clavicles are uniform, whether the ribs lie even. 

 With grown girls, the unevenness of the breasts 

 often furnishes the earliest sign of distortion of the 

 spine. These examinations ought to be made once 

 or twice a week, and in the case of girls, even after 

 they have arrived at maturity, because the years 

 immediately succeeding the period of puberty are 

 those in which distortions are most frequently 

 manifested in the female sex, and because a cure 

 can be hardly expected much after the twentieth 

 year. Attention to distortion ought not to be de- 

 layed until a high shoulder or hip shows itself; 

 these are only proofs of a distortion which has al- 

 ready long existed. If, however, any thing like 

 distortion is perceived, do not resort to the means 

 so often recommended of suspension by the arms, 

 or the use of plasters, which can avail nothing, and 

 do not expect that the dancing-master can remedy 

 the evil, which will only increase under his lessons. 

 Assistance can be rendered only by a physician 

 familiar with these deformities, and who has made 

 himself acquainted with the general state of body 

 of his patient by a cweful examination. The cure 

 must not be expected too soon ; and the orders of 

 the physician must be scrupulously obeyed. Too 

 much reliance is not to be placed on machines. 

 See Wenzel, On the Diseases of the Spine (wi " 

 engravings, Bamberg, 1824, folio); see, also, 

 thopcedic Institutes. 



SPINELLAN. See Sodalite. 



SPINELLE (Spinelle Ruby and Pleonaste'). The 



