HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY 



CHAP. 



ionable long, narrow foot, the high heel, and the de- 

 formed waist cannot be defended. Fashion makes us 

 do very strange things indeed. 



131. The Curved Spine and Round Shoulders. One 

 of the most common deformities among young men 

 and women is a curved spine and round shoulders. 

 The spine may bend either to the right or the left, for- 

 ward or backward. In some cases there is a combina- 



Right curve. Left curve. Round shoulders. 



FIG. 102. Showing deformed chests. (Drawn by H. Meyer from photographs.) 



tion of two or more of these directions. Curvature of 

 the spine may be due to a great many causes, but the 

 most common is improper posture of the body on account 

 of seats and desks that are either too high or too low 

 or for some other reason are not adapted to the pupil. 

 Under such conditions one shoulder may be raised above 

 the other, causing lateral curvature of the spine, or the 

 body may be bent forward as in reading and writing, 

 causing a fold across the abdomen in the region of the 

 stomach which curves the spine backward, displaces 



