The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-09-10
High -Heeled Shoes.

Back ache, says prominent New York
physician, is very common among women;
more than two-thirds of them suffer from
it. But there is one kind Of this trouble,
caused by a prevailing fashion, which
women ought not to allow themselves to
suffer from.
A few years ago fashionable young
lady called upon me, saying that her back
was very lame and had been so for a con-
sidera bic time; the pain had lately been
so greatly increased that she had become
frightened about herself She had been
obliged to shorten her promenades, so she
said, was almost incapable of dancing, aud
her life was gradually becoming burden.
She had tried everything, and taken med
ieine all the time, but-and then she broke
down in such way that | began to sas-
pect hysteria.
She looked tired, and her face bore an
expression of pain aud dependency which
was not compatible with her years-she was
about 23-nor her evidences of constitu-
tional force, which judged TO be strong
| confess was at loss to account for her
trouble, aud close questioning gave me no
indication for treatment | at last pre-
scribed tonic-on general principles and
asked her to call in about week. When
she reappeared again, glance suthced to
show that she was no better, and | was
much puzzled as | saw her walk up and
down the Office in nervous excitement, ex-
claiming that she would never get well,
she knew she wouldn't, etc. As looked,
certain popularity 10 her walk led me to
think that there might be some spinal
trouble, and l commenced q .cross-exami-
nation, which she brought to a sudden
close by saying Why, doctor, several of
my friends are suffering just as | am, but
they are not yet So worn out with the pain;
VIC cannot ali have spinal complaints, can
We?
thought it impossible, of course, and
the interview ended by my asking her to
call on the next day, and bring one of her
friends with her, when would make an
other effort to discover the real cause OF
trouble. | had, in fact, made up my
mind that some peeuliarity IN dress was
at the root of the difficulty. The ladies
called, and had hardly trayersed the office
before observed in patient No. 2 the
some idiOsyucrasy in walking that l had
seen in the first patient was not long
in discovering that the real difficulty lay
iu the high aud tapering heels Of my pa.
tients CATERS. Closer examination re-
yealed the fact that there was difference
in the height of the boot heels of the two
ladies, and found that my first patient,
who was the greater sufferer, was the
one whose CATERS possessed the higher
heels. There was nothing to do but to
prescribe slippers and WOODEN stockings for
week, to be followed by the wearing OF
shoes having low broad heels.
All signs of lameness disappeared with
in eleven days, aud my FIRST patient of this
kind, together with many who have fol.
lowed her, regained their health and
strength. There arc many physiological
reasons Why undue elevation of the heel
must cause trouble 1t will suffice to say
that il tends to throw forward the contents
Of the abdominal cavity, and the muscles,
nerves, cords, more or less connected with
or surrounding the back, are subjected to
unusual strain in resisting the forward i'm
pulse. OF course, in such cases, lame back
is not disease, but only the indication OF
deep-seated trouble, which is sometimes
difficult to deal with. Ladies should be
warned that this fashion in heels is certain
to bring them-sOOuer or ater-greas
trouble.