The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-03-07
Women Overweighted.

A tew weeks ago, since the high medi-
cal authority of the London Lancet de-
clared that the attention Of medical
practitioners needs to be drawn to the
fact that the feeling Of weakness of
which some women complain is natural |
exhaustion from carrying burden that
few strong men would care to bear The /
waist is eneircled as withabelt, to which |
a load heavier than felon's chain is at
tached, and the shoulders and chest are
compressed by the additional burden. |
Breathing is laboriously performed and |
the contents of the trunk and pelvis are
thrust down with a force, which, if ex-
pressed in pounds, wonld occasion con-
siderable surprise.
To bring the assertion to apractical
test, reporter of the New York Times
visited several dress-goods shops and as
certained the weight of various articles
of feminine apparel Dresses Of silk,
plush ladies' cloth and cloth skirt, and
velvet and cloth weighed from three and
half to six pounds. Steel trimmings,
now out of fashion, and jet trimmings
increase these weights very materially
/ At some places, heavy winter skirts Of
cloth, cashmere, satin and plush weighed
4 nine to twelve pounds, heavy felt skirts
worn under light dress, weighed from
eight to ten pounds; ball dress of blue
and white satin and plush, looking as
light and airy as the clouds, but lin
which the wearer expects to dance con-
tinually for several hours, weighed with
train and corsage twelve pounds- Un-
derskirts weigh from one-halt to two
bounds; fur-Ilned dolmans and sealskin
i sacks weigh frem six to twelve pounds.
So that many women whenfully clothed,
must carry from twelve to "a pounds of
weight upon their hips and half as much
more upon their shoulders, making a
total Of Is to SO pounds. What man
! would undertake to perform his daily
J business or take his pleasure by
throwing aside his suspenders and carry
, ing about with him twelve
T pound weight in each pocket of
) his trousers? Would not he be ex-
! hausted and feel weak, and be obliged to
) call in doctor to be repaired with ton
les and stimulants? When to all this
i are added more or less tight lacing and
high heeled shoes, in order to initiate
i which man would need to walk about
! with peg top under his instep, one be-
gins to perceive the physical disadvanta-
5 ges at which large numbers OF women
+ find themselves in any kind OF strug.
\ gle for existence with "the tyrant man. I
One physician in condemning the
|, heavy weights with which women afflict
II themselves, said that the troubles were
. not confined to the so-called upper classes
i or fashionable people. The lower classet
D. particularly wear heavy weights abou
j. their waists and use ill-htting corset. Il
es his hospital practice, he has known
woman whose liver has been cut almos
b. in two by wearing skirts tightly aroun'
AZ her waist with worn-out corsets. Man
lr women are daily tagged out by the heaN
id mess Of their dresses, to which is adde
w the strain Of stockings held up by supol
n ters to the waist Another doctor said th
he fatigue caused by carrying this heay
n clothing, is an element Of great troub
,al in organic disease: The fashion of COZ
lw tracted skirts is also very bad, becaus
IN in addition to the weight, the DIRE
cramps and confines the limbs, an
til compels the woman to put forth Ju
I'M that much more exertion in walking
climbing steps.
m, This exposition and remonstrance
tie, not, Of course, intended to refor
ere women's ''habits" Nothing can I
|, a that. Women dying Of nervous diseas
Of which, according to medical authorl
art are provoked or aggravated by t
M heavy-weighted clothing they wei
lies would no more tighten them by a sins
or bead, or half once of material,
,ets fashion forbade, than they would, VIII
fee in full dress, cut off the supertuous tr;
dragging upon the ground and tuggl
her at their vitals, and add it to the abst
! as or diminished portions Of the upper p
led. az their apparel These discussions
like merely interesting as descriptions Of
and curious customs and habits OF the
t in male sex but they will do no more
rec their reform or abolition, than the Il
two Of travellers would prevent the Chin
her from squeezing the feet of their won
re- or the Flathead Indians from press
and tho heads Of their papo0ses