302 APPENDIX. 



erect position by the strong muscles of the back, called 

 the dorsal muscles ; and if these by any means, are di- 

 minished in bulk or vigor, the spine will inevitably be- 

 come distorted ; and as we have shown that tight lacing 

 produces the first effect, so it is equally certain that the 

 last will follow. Thus the very means which a great 

 proportion of the ladies of the present day, take to give 

 themselves little waists, and consequently, as they con- 

 ceive, inviting forms, become a deception, because' it is a 

 wicked interference with the laws of nature ; and instead 

 of producing the desired effect, in many instances at least, 

 actually transforms them into crooked disgusting objects ; 

 and in the sequel we shall see other consequences equally 

 unfortunate from the same cause. 



967. A mother who begins to corset her child at the 

 age of ten or twelve years, intending to present to the 

 world a few years hence, the " works or her own hands," 

 modified and moulded according to her skill and taste, 

 often finds that at the age of fourteen or sixteen, she be- 

 gins to <: eat chalk," look pale and grow crooked. To 

 remedy the first, she detains her at home, lest she should 

 expose herself by going into the air, especially if the season 

 is cool j but finding that under this treatment, she becomes 

 listless and paler still, she consults the family physician, 

 who very judiciously prescribes iron, and other tonics, 

 according to art. 



968. The crook of the spine, the mother undertakes to 

 manage by her own skill, not letting the doctor know that 

 anything is wrong in that respect ; but only that the girl 

 is growing tall so fast, that she has hardly strength to 

 keep herself straight so that the most important part of 

 the case is kept out of sight and not prescribed for. 



969. The kind parent begins by procuring a more sub- 

 stantial support for the back of her daughter, in the form 

 of new stays, and which are made to order, with direc- 

 tions to insert an extra quantity of whalebone and steel ; 

 and perhaps this instrument of torture is padded at certain 

 points so as to press with special force on that part of 

 the spine which is most distorted, with the good intention 

 of forcing it to its proper place. The means of cure 

 being thus provided, they are put in their proper place, 

 and the cords drawn with a force, in some degree pro- 



