Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-08-20
CURE FOR LAME BACKS.


A reporter, crossing the Fulton Ferry
some days ago, was made an unwilling lis
tener to the feminine condolences on back
ache. As all women and the greater part
of their men folks are directly or indirectly
interested in the subject, the reporter
visited man of science who was named
by one of the ladies as having cured her
trouble.
"Oh, yes," said the doctor, backache
Is very common among women more than
two thirds of them suffer from it. But
there is one kind of this trouble, caused
by prevailing fashion. which women
ought not to allow themselves to suffer
from"
Are you specialist for fashionable
backache -
The doctor laughed 81 will tell you all
about it." said he. "Three years ago a
fashionable young lady called upon me,
saying that her back was very lame, and
had been so for considerable time the
pain had lately so greatly increased that
she had become frightened about her.
self. She had been obliged to shorten her
promeuades, so she said, was almost in
capable of dancing, and her life was graz
dually becoming burden. She mad
tried everything and taken medicine
all the time, but-ard then she broke
down in such way that began to suspect
hysteria.
"She looked tired and her face bore an
! expression of pain and dependency which
was not compatible with her years-she
was about 23-nor her evidences of consti.
tutional force, which judged to be strong.
/ confess was at a loss to account tor her
/ trouble, and close questioning gave me no
indication for treatment. l at last pre-
scribed tonic-on general principles and
asked her to call in about week. When
she appeared again a glance sufficed to
show that she was no better, and | was
much puzzled as / saw her walking up and
down the office in nervous excitement, ex-
claiming that she would never get well, she
knew she wouldn't, etc. As looked, a
certain popularity in her walk led me to
think that there might be some spinal
trouble, and | commenced cross-examina-
ton, which she brought to a sudden close
by saying, Why, doctor, several Of my
friends are suffering just as | am, but they
are not so worn out with the pain we
cannot all have spinal complaints, can WEI
81 thought it impossible, of course, y
continued the doctor "and the interview
ended by my asking her to call again on
the next day and bring one OF her friends
with her, when | would make another
effort to discover the real cause of the
trouble. l had, in fact, made up my mind
that some popularity in dress was at the
root of the difficulty. The ladies' called,
and had hardly traversed the office before
| observed in patient number two the same
| IL, L.
in the first patient. | was not long in dis
covering that the real difficulty lay in the
high and tapering heels OF my patients
CATERS. Closer examination revealed the
fact that there was difference in the hight
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 highest heels. There was
nothing to do but prescribe slippers and
wooden stockings for week, to be followed
by the wearing of shoes having low, broad
heels.
"And it was this treatment which cured
the backache y
"All signs of lameness disappeared
within eleven days, and my first patient OF
this kind, together with many who have
followed her, regairied their health and
strength. There are many physiological
reasons why undue elevation of the heel
must cause trouble. It will suffice to say
that it serves to throw forward the con.
tents of the abdominal cavity, and the
strain upon the muscles, nerves and cords
more or less connected with or surrounding
the back are subjected to unusual strain in
resisting the forward impulse. OF course,
in such cases, lame back is not of itself a
disease, but only the indication of a deep.
seated trouble, which is sometimes difficult
to deal with. Ladies should be warned
that this fashion in heels is certain to bring
them-sooner or later-great trouble If
they must adhere to the prevailing style,
they should take care to wear slippers on
every possible occasion which the sacred
duties they owe to fashion may permit
That person may as well be out of the
world as out of the fashion is law more
memorable in the minds of many women
than those Of nature or OF health. "-lNew
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