The Four Epochs of Womans Life | Page 7

of room it has to work in, at the same time that it diminishes
the amount of oxygen which is inspired. Fresh air is by far the most
important part of the daily food. It is in the lungs that the blood throws
off its carbonic acid and other impurities; but it is able to do this only
when the lungs are supplied with an abundance of oxygen. Every inch
which a woman adds to her chest measure adds to the measure of her
days.
Great physical injury has followed women playing lawn-tennis while
tightly corseted. And although dancing is a much milder exercise, since
it frequently takes place in an overheated and poorly ventilated room,
fatal results occasionally occur from the same cause.
Standing erect calls into action almost all the muscles of the trunk, neck,
and lower extremities. So long as the line of gravity falls within the
area of the feet, the muscular effort required is so slight that it is little
more than the tonicity contained in all living muscle. The greater the
displacement of the line of gravity, the greater the muscular effort
required to maintain the equilibrium of the body. Up to a certain extent,
exercising the muscle develops the strength and size of the muscle. On
the other hand, when a muscle within the body is unused, it wastes;
when used within certain limits, it grows. But when the corset splint is
applied to the body of the young girl, it supplants the functions of the
abdominal and back muscles, which is to hold the trunk erect, and these
muscles gradually grow weak and waste. And so the liability to the
various spinal curvatures is increased.
The original object of the corset was to give greater prominence to the
hips and abdomen. But fashions change! In "the French figure" or

straight-front corset now in vogue the pelvis is tilted forward,
producing a sinking in of the abdomen and a marked prominence of the
hips and sacrum, necessitating a compensatory curve of the spine which
increases the curvature forward at the small of the back-- a deformity
which, a few years ago, women were going to orthopedic surgeons to
have corrected. In this attitude the line passing through the centre of
gravity strikes the heels, the knees are hyper-extended, and the muscles
of the calves and thighs are rendered tense.
By interfering with the muscular development and digestion, the girl is
very apt to become angular, flat-chested, anemic, and to have a muddy
complexion. And so the corset really defeats the object for which it was
put on-- that of giving the girl a good figure and enhancing her beauty.
There is no objection to girls wearing any of the various forms of
hygienic waists now on the market.
Shoes.-- The feet are the part of the body to come in contact with the
greatest degree of cold, whether on the floor of the house or the
pavement of the street. Hence it is a matter of prime importance to the
entire body that the feet should be properly clad.
The thick-soled, flat-heeled shoes which became popular with bicycling
and golf are most hygienic, and it is highly desirable that this style of
shoe should be adhered to for outdoor exercise.
Underwear.-- In our cold and changeable climate the most suitable
undergarment is the "combination" woolen undersuit, which reaches
from neck to ankles and has long sleeves. Much greater warmth is
afforded when the undersuit is moderately tight fitting. Such a suit
should be worn the entire year, the grade of weight being adapted to the
season.
Nutrition.-- The nutrition of the body is dependent on the food supply,
digestion and excretion. The growing girl should eat more than the
adult woman, because of her more active life and of the fact that the
food which she takes must not only replace the worn-out material of the
body, but also provide new material needed for growth. Insufficient

food and food of defective quality and composition work
proportionately for more harm during the growing age.
The full adult weight is not attained before the twenty-fifth year. When
the final growth of the body and development of the vital organs is
completed, the function of food is simply to replace waste with new
material and to furnish material for the development of force.
Diet.-- The diet should be a mixed one, consisting of the various kinds
of fresh meats, fish, milk, eggs, poultry, vegetables, fruit, and fat in the
shape of cream, butter, and the fat of beef and mutton. Animal food
improves the condition of the muscles, which are made firmer than they
would be through a vegetable diet. Meat in general has a more
stimulating effect upon the system and is more strengthening than
vegetable food,