File:TheFamilyDoctorNov16 1889page187.png

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Nov. 16, 1889 E. R. TICE'S DENTAL TOILET MIRROR.

By means of this ingeniously-contrived little instrument, all persons can examine their own teeth with no kind of difficulty. It is a most useful article, and enables parents to see to their children's teeth. - Wholesale Agents for the United Kingdom and British Colonies are Messrs. Lynch & Co., Aldersgate Street, London.

ATROPHY, Wasting, may be either general or local. General atrophy is in one sense natural to advanced life, when, the powers of nutrition being diminished, the muscles, the brain, and the organs generally, shrink. There may be fat, but at the same time much atrophy of the other bodily components. Atrophy occurring earlier in life without obvious cause ought to be regarded suspiciously. When an individual, without departing from ordinary habits, begins to lose flesh, the cause ought to be looked for, and if the change continues the person should be submitted to a thorough medical examination, and the existence or not of incipient disease, if possible, ascertained. In young children atrophy occurs as a consequence of faulty digestion, most frequently from improper feeding; it is also the result of a diseased condition of the glands, of the belly, through which the nutrient portion of the food passes on its way to the general circulation. For this condition cod-liver oil is the remedy, given in teaspoonful doses twice a day, to an infant of six or eight months old, and the same quantity well rubbed into the skin of the abdomen night and morning. Some medicines, such as iodine, have the power of causing local or even general atrophy.

Local atrophy is liable to occur from various causes. Whatever diminishes the supply of blood to a part will cause it to waste. Pressure on the main artery of a limb, obliteration of the smaller vessels of a part by previous inflammation, disuse of a member from paralysis or any other cause, are all followed by diminution in slize of the part affected.

SIR.-It is now about a year since you favoured me by inserting a letter upon the absorbing subject of tight lacing and high heels. Of the latter I shall have something to say in another letter if you will give me space in your columns. The former, after your article headed as above, is more on the tapis. Since last year I have had a much better opportunity of seeing the action of tight stays upon an average figure, for have married one of your correspondents who, under the title of “Moderation,” has written several letters that you have inserted in which she gave her opinion and personal experience.

I am myself an intense admirer of a tiny waist, and that it should be artificially produced by tight lacing only adds to its charm. Yet experience has shown me that great care is requisite even for quite moderate lacing, or injury will be done. The way it injures is simply through lowering the system and producing anæmia. This itself brings many evils in its train, but indigestion is the most likely one when tight lacing is indulged in. If this becomes chronic it is a most difficult thing to cure. This was happening to my better half, and she had to let herself out from 19 to 22 inches, with the result that the anæmia has disappeared, and the indigestion is almost well It was chiefly for the want of proper air and exercise that the anæmia came on (all newly-married ladies are so enamoured of their first house it is difficult to get them out), but there is no doubt it was favoured by lacing even to that moderate tightness she was used to. But the cap was given to it all by trying to sleep in stays, that soon brought on irritation of the mucous membrane. Corset wearing at night may be all very well for young girls, but for women of twenty-nine, like my wife, it is somewhat risky.

There is NO doubt than many girls and young women can well bear having their figures reduced permanently and yet remain perfectly healthy, but it must be carefully and scientifically done. A well-known society belle, who may be seen at most of the private views of picture galleries, has had her figure thus trained to 18 inches, and an exquisite shape, though she is very tall and fully formed. Yet she is always in the most robust health, is witty and vivacious; quite different to the sickly, stupid person the hygienic school would have us believe all tight-lacers are. Of course, this is a very different size to the 14 inches mentioned in your article as possessed by the young lady at the corsetiers. It would be most interesting if you could obtain a photo of this young lady, showing her waist at this size, and reproduce it as a block (with the face altered, of course) by the Meissenbach or some analogous process. I am sure there are many of your readers who would be most interested, never having, like myself, seen a waist so small in real life. The number would be sure to have an enormous sale if the pose made a pretty picture, Even without the numerous letters from your small-waisted correspondents, your article conclusively proves that tight lacing does exist, and when it does so without injury to the tight-laced I think it is a thing to be glad of.

We are so differently made that what is harmless and even beneficial for one is very injurious to another. All young ladies cannot tight lace, but a very large number can do so with impunity. However, like everything else, it must be done properly in order to succeed. The amount of reduction that can be effected varies greatly with the individual, but lies between 6 and 9 inches below Nature; seldom is it possible to be less. Some of the healthiest women I know, though they have not extreme tenuity, yet have beautiful figures, and a waist very much below their natural size. Everyone who has any pretensions to being well and fashionably dressed have waists reduced 3 or 4 inches, though often they do not know it themselves.

The civilised lives led by the "Upper Ten" do not require that they should work hard, and they generally have so much superfluous strength that they are often tempted to run into extravagances of life and action to use it up. In such cases the restraining influence of tight lacing is actually a boon, and at the same time it gives great pleasure to others to see it. In other cases, again, where the girl is weakly, to tight lace her would be positively wicked. It is well, however, that the drawbacks of tight lacing should be known, so that if it acts injuriously the symptoms may be recognised at once and the proper means taken to overcome and counteract them. Thus:--

1. It reduces the size of the stomach, thus weakening digestion. Hence care must be taken not to overload the stomach; take nourishing and digestible food, the meals very regularly, and four times a day. Avoid heavy meals at night. The stays should be gradually loosed during undressing. not loosed suddenly. In cases of very tight lacing the lady will probably wake. feeling hungry and faint, in the early morning at, say. 4 or 5 a m. It is well to have a biscuit, sandwich. or sponge cake, with a glass of milk, by the bedside. ready to take in such cases, as the reduced stomach is not able to take on board enough to last the twelve or fourteen hours between dinner and breakfast. Avoid stooping, and if the stays are made of a good shape, probably no evil at all will result if the above rules are adhered to.

2. It impedes the strong action of the heart, and

3. It prevents full respiration.

The above two may be taken together as producing anæmia and a low state of vitality. To overcome this take plenty of fresh air and gentle exercise, avoid sudden or violent action, sleep with the window open, and be careful to avoid colds. Lawn tennis may be indulged in quietly, but tournaments should not be played, or anything that gives a pain in the chest or causes breathlessness. When illness is thus avoided, the reduced size of the waist will become after a time as second nature, and robust health may be enjoyed if the reduction has not been too great or too sudden. The individual will become, as it were, another person who is naturally slimmer.

I think, Mr. Editor, I have put the matter fairly, and shall feel much honoured by the appearance of this letter in your valuable journal. So much ignorance is shown as to the least injurious form of corset for reducing that I will send you another note presently showing the vicious and proper lines upon which they should be built.

Apologising for the length of this epistle,--I am, yours faithfully, SCIENCE AND ART.

Kensington.

SIR,-A constant purchaser and assiduous reader of your popular paper I have been. deeply interested in the correspondence on the above subject. It. is very evident that an extremely large number of people of "all sorts and conditions" are also much interested, and by permitting the insertion of the various letters that have been written thereon you have met the views of many. I fear; however, that "earrings for men" will be found impracticable, as in the present time, more than ever, it is "ridicule thatkil1s," and any man of position daring to wear earrings would

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