DRESS ANOTHER SOURCE OF DEFORMITY. 297 



efforts of which, are in a great number of instances ap- 

 parent, and will remain so during the present generation 

 This is the recent fashion of dressing so wide across the 

 neck as to leave one, or perhaps both tlie acromion pro- 

 cesses, or shoulder tips, in a state of entire nudity. 



951. The young lady, it is true, had the power, by 

 muscular action, of hiding a part of one shoulder at a 

 time, but the dress, if in good fashion, could never be made 

 to cover both of these processes, except alternately, though 

 it was quite easy to leave both uncovered. The conse- 

 quence of this fashion was, that, judging from the per- 

 petual motion of these parts, the wearer constantly felt 

 as though her dress was in danger of .slipping down, and 

 which she made as constant efforts to prevent, or to 

 ascertain by feeling with the shoulder whether this was 

 the case, or not, until these motions became habitual, and 

 therefore insensible. As the dress was designed to cover 

 only one shoulder at the same time, this partiality (for 

 which shoulder it was intended, we know not) was 

 always extended to the same one, because habit made it 

 most natural and comfortable ; consequently the pres- 

 sure on the two sides became unequal, and the wearer, 

 to counteract this, or from the unnatural or uneasy feeling 

 consequent upon confining one side, while its antagonist 

 remained free, constantly and habitually elevated one 

 shoulder while the other remained stationary, until the 

 former became permanently higher than the latter. 



952. Although this (without using any other epithet) 

 pernicious fashion, we believe, is chiefly done away, at 

 least among the fashionables, its consequences still remain, 

 as many a monument of its existence can testify; and 

 therefore we hope it will not be considered impertinent, 

 or improper to record its history and consequences, that 

 mothers may be aware of both, when its turn, in the 

 never-ending circle of costumal changes, shall again come 

 round. 



953. Fashionable Deformity. The vast number of in- 

 stances, in which the causes already mentioned, or those 

 which we shall hereafter notice, have occasioned female 

 deformity, most of which might have been prevented, is 



