Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-05-16
HOW is YOUR BACKBONE?
An Old AphOrism COntaining.Much
Scientific Truth.

When person compliments another
by saying he has good deal of back
BONE" he comes very near stating a
scientific truth without knowing it, per-
haps. AT least so remarked naval med
ical officer to reporter of the Star the
other day, as the latter stopped to chat in
the room of the Naval Examining board.
"Step up here a moment" continued the
officer, conducting the reporter to a meas
uring-rod which stood in one corner of
the room. This rod, besides having the
movable arms with which a mans
height is gagged, had another intermedi-
ate arm below, by which the length of
his legs is determined. The difference
between these measurements of course
shows the length of his body and head,
or the length of his spinal column, in
Guiding his head. 'There," said the
officer, after the reporter had subjected
himself to the measuring process, you
are 6958 inches tall, your legs are 1875
inches long-pretty good legs-and that
leaves a length of body of SO inches.
That's pretty good-above the average"
"Well, what does it all mean?" asked
the reporter.
"Boiler power" remarked an official
who was standing near.
'The medical officer, enlarging on the
figure thus suggested, proceeded:
CHATS it. You see quitting his hand
on his head), here's the governor Here"
he continued, lowering his hand to his
chest, "is the boiler. The lungs and the
heart are here, and below are the abdom-
inal organs or viscera. Your mouth and
nostrils are bowers. You shovel in coal
take food-in your mouth. 1t is turned
into steam-blood-and goes out in every
direction, you see, towards the surface.
Now the man with a long body has a
great deal of boiler surface"
"Then the man with considerable
backbone is stronger than the one who
has not2'
"Well, that is one circumstance to be
considered with others, of course. The
man with backbone is apt to have-greater
power of resistance. He can endure more
toll and resist disease longer. Why were
there no men in war so good for long
march as your duck-legged fellows with
long bodies? The long-legged men could
NOT stand it. Gen. Sheridan is a good
sDecimen of a man with long body
lono grasp on life-and Gen. Grant Is
"There was case here not long ago.,
continued the officer, (which would lndl-
cate that a mans backbone had a great
deal to do with his general character An
officer who was examined for promotion
waste was found to be physically, mentally and
professionally unfit, and also morally I'M
it, He was dropped from the service:
When we came to take his measurement
we found he had the shortest backbone
of any man in the navy who had ever
been examined. He did not have great
physical power OF resistance, you , see;
When he graduated at the %nd Maya ba
h hod fo DO ne d S it is probable that his
hae ef o failed fd him and he resortsd to
stimuiants, the taking of stimulants b be-
came habit, and gradually affected 1oed,h his
intellectual powers His mind became became
weakened, his morals were soon UNDER UNDER
mined. All Of this, you see," laughed
the officer, "came, of course, from having
a short backbone "-NeoU York Star.