Constipation.—­ In order to keep the digestive system in good condition, the refuse matter which collects in the lower bowel must be evacuated every day.  And in order to secure this regular bowel movement, regularity in the time of going to the toilet is a prime necessity.  And now is the time when the habits of a lifetime are being formed.  If a tendency to constipation exists, it can almost always be overcome by increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables eaten, also by eating cracked wheat, oatmeal, corn and graham bread; all of which increase the peristaltic action of the intestines.  The small amount of water taken by girls and women is another fertile source of constipation.

School Life.—­ When it is considered that fully one-half of the girl’s waking hours are spent in school or in study preparing for school, it becomes evident that the girl’s attitude at her desk should be the correct one.  The malpositions at the desk are the most frequent cause of lateral curvatures, round shoulders, and flat chests.  And these deformities are more common in girls than they are in boys.

The common faults of the desk and seat leading to these malpositions are unsuitable shape of the back of the seat, too great a distance between the seat and the desk, and the incorrect slope of the desk.

The edge of the desk should slightly project over the edge of the chair.  The top of the desk should incline downward about ten degrees toward the student, and be low enough to allow the forearm to rest on it without raising the shoulder.  The seat should be sufficiently deep to support almost the entire thigh, and close enough to the floor to allow the soles of the feet to rest firmly on it.  The back of the chair should be arched so as to support the hollow of the back, and should reach just above the lower part of the shoulder-blades, and so make it easy and comfortable for even a weakly child to sit upright.

If the seat is too high, the feet do not rest on the floor, and so the girl does not get the proper aid from the legs and feet to maintain an erect position.  If the desk is too high, the elbow can rest on it only by curving the spine and raising the shoulder.  The work is brought too close to the eyes and causes extra strain.  If the desk is too low, the child stoops over it and becomes round-shouldered, and there is a tendency to become short-sighted.

The pupil should sit erect with the weight equally borne by both buttocks; the legs should be straight before the trunk, and the feet firmly resting on the floor.  The book should be held about twelve inches from the eyes.

Spinal Curvatures.—­ It should be distinctly borne in mind that lateral curvature of the spine is a distortion of growth.  The deformity appears and is developed during the growing years.  It is more common in girls than in boys, for two reasons:  that at the age when lateral curvature is first seen, girls grow more rapidly than boys; and their muscular system is less well developed.