POSTURE.--In childhood the bones are soft and yield with comparative ease to continued strains; hence they often become deformed by bad positions assumed in sitting, standing, or in using the body in other ways. The postures habitually assumed by a child should be noticed and good postures should be insisted upon. But it is not enough to admonish him. The various causes tending to encourage bad positions should be corrected; among them are insufficient illumination of books and work, defective eyesight or hearing, obstructions in breathing, muscular weakness, and low general vitality. Children should have their chairs and tables suited to their size for their work both at home and in school. [Illustration: FIG. 28.--INCORRECT SITTING POSTURES. (_From Cornell, "Health and Medical Inspection of School Children." F. A. Davis Co., Philadelphia._)] [Illustration: FIG. 29.--INCORRECT SITTING POSTURES. (_From Cornell, "Health and Medical Inspection of School Children." F. A. Davis Co., Philadelphia._)] [Illustration: FIG. 30.--INCORRECT SITTING POSTURES. (_From Cornell, "Health and Medical Inspection of School Children." F. A. Davis Co., Philadelphia._)] [Illustration: FIG. 31.--INCORRECT AND CORRECT STANDING POSTURES. (_From Cornell, "Health and Medical Inspection of School Children," F. A. Davis Co., Philadelphia._)] The adjustable chairs and desks now used in schools are a marked improvement upon the school furniture which has caused so many deformities in the past. [Illustration: FIG. 32.--ROUND SHOULDERS. (_Goldthwait, from Pyle's "Personal Hygiene."_)] One of the serious deformities caused by habitual faulty posture is curvature of the spine. A curvature not only injures a child's appearance and thus handicaps him in later life, but it brings strains and pressure upon the organs of the chest and abdomen which may seriously impair his health. As curvatures often pass unnoticed in their early stages, every child should be inspected occasionally when all his clothing has been removed, to see whether the weight is borne evenly on both feet, whether the development of the two sides is uniform, and whether the head and shoulders are properly carried. It should be noticed when the child stands, whether one shoulder is higher than the other, whether one shoulder blade projects more than the other, whether one hip is higher than the other, and whether one hand is lower than the other when the arms are hanging at the sides. The child should walk both toward and away from the observer, who should notice whether the child uses the two sides of his body in the same way, and whether he drags or shuffles his feet or has other abnormalities of gait. [Illustration: FIG. 33.--LATERAL CURVATURE. (_From Bancroft's "Posture of School Children." The Macmillan Co., New York._)] [Illustration: FIG. 34.--"WING SHOULDER BLADES IN FORWARD SHOULDERS. (_From Bancroft's "Posture of School Children." The Macmillan Co., New York._)]