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.