$6 Memoirs of Erasmus Darwin, M.D, 



It will be from hence easily perceived, that all other rae« 

 thods of confining or directing the growth of young people 

 should be used with great skill ; such as back -boards, or 

 bandages, or stocks for the feet: and that their application 

 should not be continued too long at a time, lest worse con" 

 sequences should ensue than the deformity they were de- 

 signed to remove, To this may be added, that the stiff erect 

 attitude taught by some modern dancing-masters does not 

 contribute to the grace of the person, but rather militates 

 against it ; as is well seen in one of the prints in Hogarth's 

 Analysis of Beauty ; and is exemplified by the easy grace o£ 

 some of the ancient statues, as of the Venus de Medici, and 

 the Antinoiis, and in the works of some modern artists, as 

 in a beautiful print of Hebe feeding an eagle, painted by 

 Hamilton, and engraved by Eginton, aiid many of the 

 figures of Angelica Kauffman. 



Where the bone of one of the vertebrae of the back has 

 been swelled on both sides of it, so as to become protube- 

 rant, issues near the swelled part have been found of great 

 service. This has induced me to propose in curvatures 

 of the spine, to put an issue on the outside of the curve, 

 where it could be certainly ascertained, as the bones on 

 the convex side of the curve must be enlarged ; in one case 

 I thought this of service, and recommend the further trial 

 of it. 



In the tendency to curvature of the spine, whatever 

 strengthens the general constitution is of service ; as the use 

 of the cold bath in the summer months. This, however, re- 

 quires some restriction both in respect to the degree of cold- 

 ness of the bath, the time of continuing in it, and the sea- 

 son of the year. Common springs, which are of forty-eight 

 degrees of heat, are too cold for tender constitutions, whe- 

 ther of children or adults, and frequently do them great and 

 Irreparable injury. The coldness of river water in the sum- 

 mer months, which is about sixty-eight degrees, or that of 

 Matlock, which is about sixty-eight, or of Buxton, which 

 is eighty-two, are much to be preferred. The time of con- 

 tinuing in the bath should be but a minute or two, or not 

 fipj long as to occasion a trembling of the limbs from cold. 



In 



