Personal hygiene and physical training for womenGalbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)
Science
Personal hygiene and physical training for women
Galbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)
Physical education and training; Women -- Health and hygiene
Corsets that slip up are probably either too long waisted, too tight
over the fulness of the hips, or there is not sufficient curve in the
back and sides at the waist-line. High-backed corsets are apt to make
the woman look round shouldered, while a low back gives smoother and
more desirable lines.
=The Shoe.=—The style of the shoe is very closely related to the
corset in the amount of harm it is capable of doing. Considering
the fact that the feet form the base of support for the entire
body, and that on their condition depends the woman’s ability to
take a sufficient amount of exercise and maintain her good health,
surprisingly little attention is given to their care.[7]
The compression of the foot into a rigid body, not unlike the
shoemaker’s last, destroys the natural relation of the parts,
prevents the growth, interferes with the circulation, compresses the
nerves, weakens muscles and ligaments which should support the arch,
and is the prolific source of corns, bunions, weak ankles, and “flat”
foot.
But, in addition to the direct injuries to the feet, the excessive
elevation of the heel displaces the center of gravity, and transfers
the weight of the body for the most part from the heel to the line of
union of the instep with the toes, a series of joints with shallow
sockets not formed to bear the brunt of the body weight. In addition
to which the equilibrium of the body can only be maintained by an
increase of the natural curves of the bony framework, with the
resulting increased curvature forward at the small of the back, is an
increase in the prominence of the buttocks and abdomen. This tilting
forward of the pelvis interferes with the circulation of the pelvic
organs, and their congestion and inflammation follow.
By walking around in her bedroom slippers any one can easily convince
herself of the greater grip that the foot has on the floor when
so clad, and of the greater ease and sureness in walking; this is
chiefly due to the greater breadth of the sole, and the fact that the
slipper has no heel. The greater firmness of men on their feet on
slippery pavements is doubtless due to the difference in the cut of
the shoe and the lower and broader heel.
The front part of the sole of the shoe must be so designed that the
great toe will retain its normal position and rest on the inner
border of the sole. In many shoes the great toe is forced out of its
natural position toward the middle of the sole, and the tip, instead
of pointing straight forward, is thrust toward the line of the sole.
This not only lessens the thrust of the great toe as it leaves the
ground in walking, but also leads to a malformation of the foot and
ingrowing toe-nails.
The soles of the shoe should project a reasonable distance beyond the
uppers, to give firmer support to the foot and to protect the soft
parts in walking.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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