The daily gazette., 1881-06-14
HIGH HEELS AND LAME BACKS,
A Simple Cure for q Fash fOnabIe Q
Disorder Nome Peculfarilies OF
the Feminine Mind,


Disorder Nome Peculinrilies OI
the Feminine Mind. sF
A new York reporter, crossing thu
Fulton Ferry some days ago, wal
made an unwilling listener to som,
feminine condolences ON backache. Al
all women and the greater part oi
their men folks arc directly or indi-
rectly interested In the subject, the
reporter visited man of science who
was named by one Of the young la
dies as having cured her trouble.
ooh, yes" said the Doctor, .sback-
ache is very common among women
more than two>thirds of them suffer
from it. But there is one kind Of this
trouble, caused by u prevailing fash.
ion, which women ought not TO allow
themselves to suffer FROM" ~
care you q specialist for fashions
able backache ~
"The Doctor laughed. ~ will tell
you all about it," said he. "Three
years ago fashionable young lady
called upon me, saying that her back
was very lame, and had been 90 for q
considerable time the pain had late.
ly SO greatly increased that she had
become frightened about herself. She
been obliged to shorten her prom.
enades, SO she said, was almost inca
pablo Of dancingp and her life was
gradually becoming burden. She
had tried everything, and taken med
cine all the time, but-and then she
broke down in such way that | be-
gan to su. pect hysteria.
She looked tire 4, and her face bore
an espr ion of pain and Iespondency
which was not compatible with her
years-she was about twenty-three-
nor her evidences of constitutional
force, which l judged to be strong.
confess was at loss to account for
her trouble, and close Questioning
gave me no indication for treatment,
l at last prescribed a tonic ON general
principles-and asked her to call in
about week. When she appeared
again, u glance sufficed to show that
she was no better, and I was much
puzzled as / saw her walk up and
down the Office in nervous excite-
ment, exclaiming that she wouldn't
never get we'll, she knew she knew
she wouldn't, etc. As l looked,
certain popularity in her walk led
me to thing that there might be some
spinal trouble, and l commenced a
cross-examination, which she brought
10 a sudden close by saying why,
Doctor, several of my friends are suf-
lering just as am, but they are not
yet 30 worn out with pain /; we cannot
all have spinal complaints, can we p"
81 thought 1t impossible of course"
the Doctor, and the inter-
view ended by my asking her to call
again on the next day and bring one of
her friends with her, when I would
make another effort to discover the real
,ause Of the trouble. bad, in fact,
made up my mind that some pecnIiarity
70 dress was at the root OF the difficulty.
rhe ladies called and had hardly ira
7ersed the office when observed In pa
tient mum Der two the same idiosyncrasy |
q walking which I had seen In the |
irst patient. was not long in discoy- |
,riDg that the real difficulty lay in the |
ligh and tapering heels of my patients
,alters, Closer examination revealed |
he fact that there was difference in |
he height of the boot heels of the |
W. iahiTos anu budb my urBJ |
'atient who was the greater sufferer, |
vas the one whose CATERS possessed the |
higher heels. There was nothing to do
nut TO prescribe slippers and woollen
tocktDgs for week, to be followed by |
he wearing of shoes having low, broad |
Ieel-." |
Sand 1t was this treatment that cured
he backache."
"All signs OF lameness disappeared |
n eleven days, and my first patient of |
bis kind, together with many who have
oilowed her regained their health and
trength. There are many physiological
easoDs why undue elevation OF the heel
gill cause trouble 1t win suffice to say
hat 1t serves TO throw forward the con.
ents OF the abdominal cavity, and the
luscles, nerves end cords, more or less
onnected with or surrounding the back
re subjected to unusual strain In resist
az the forward impulse. Of course, In
nch cases, lame back 10 not of itself
isease, but only the indication of deep
sated trouble, which Is sometimes diff
ult to deal with. Ladies should be
armed that this fashion in heels Is
ertain to bring them--sooner of later
reat trouble. II they wust adhere to
he prevailing style, they should take
are to wear slippers on every possib BILE
casion when the sacred duties they |
we to Fashion may permit. That q
erson may as we'll be out OF the world
! out of the fashion Is law more inex-
rable In the minds of many women
e. a. 4