Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-09-04
CROOKED BACKBONES.
EVERYBODY'S SPINE HAS A PECUL-
Jar S-SHAPED CURVE.

Describes "A Remarkable and Universal
Malformation-His Theory of Exercise.
Use the Extensor Muscles.
The very newest thing in physiculture is
the spine curve and how to correct it, for
prevented absolutely it cannot be, it seems,
without almost a revolution in our meth
DDS of life. The straighter the spine the
healthier the man; this is the newest prin-
ciple enunciated by Edwin Checkley, who
is the strongest man of his weight in the
world, and unquestioningly reaflirmed by
all those experts in the perfection of the
human frame to whose attention it has
been brought home.
In all the gymnasia and athletic clubs
you hear people talking of "the S curve Of
the spine and how to correct it,"
"The human spine is always curved"
Checkley declares, and this curvature is
caused by the incorrectness of the position
of the body in infancy, when we learn to
walk and run. 1t is, however, by no
means necessary evil, although it is
very serious one. 1t can and ought to be
corrected.
curved, she would have made this curva-
ture at least uniform enough to enable the
student to strike an average But main
tain, as result of investigation recently
made by me, now first announced that in
1000 men, say of a uniform height of 5
feet 6 inches, and of uniform weight, you
will find on close examination no two
spines as nearly alike even as the two cor.
=, ~
urementsI have used a machine of my own
invention. | was a mechanical engineer
you know, by profession, and devoted my
life work to the improvement of man from
physical point of view, just for the love
of the thing. The machine to which re-
fer is simple application of straight
ruler to a wheel upon which it is made to
revolve. To obtain from it an exact repro.
duction of the curvature of any individu.
abs spine l run this wheel up and down
the backbone and trace its outline from
the base of the brain to the sacrum or base
of the spine.
TO CORRECT THE CURVE.
This uniform but absolutely variable
curvature of the spine is caused by the re-
Taxation of the muscles of the body, the
weight of which is thus allowed to sink
out of healthful and proper position, drag
ging down the spine with it. Now, if in
stead of this relaxation of the muscles they
were kept habitually tense-and | will ex-
plain just how tense in few moments
as they are in infancy, the result would be
a straight and not curved spine.
Tension of the muscles in an unframed
adult is diagnosed by medical men and
recognized by physical experts as sign Of
nervousness. But the person in whom
tenseness of muscle warrants such an in
ference would, if trained from infancy to
hold himself erect and walk properly, have
acquired without effort, and indeed uncon-
sciously, a natural and agreeable and
healthful tenseness of muscle. Thus, in
deed, the muscles would have been trained
by simple will power to support the body
and keep the spine straight. And by ten
sion of muscles here do not mean rigid
ity, but, on the contrary, an easy fleXi-
biity.
1.-The following directions, if conscien.
tiously followed, will in short time ena-
bic any one to restore the spine almost il
not quite to its perpendicular position:
Turn the pelvis back and then draw the
head back and lift it up. Maintain the
face at right angles to the floor and walk
as long as convenient with motion alto
gether from the hip joints and not from
the waist or the knees. Pursuit of this
advice regularly for few minutes morn
ing and evening will, in a wonderfully
short time, prove of the most marked
benefit.
LABOR AND EXERCISE.
Let any man, however devoted to phys
ical exercise lie may be, satisfy himself Of
the almost universal prevalence of this re
mark hla DlVSipal forrpat ion " taL L N G
three foot ruler and laying it along the
spine the outer clothing having, of course
been removed. The effort to keep the spine
in contact with this ruler simultaneously
throughout its length will be so great a:
at once to convince the most incredulous
of what say OF course one must breathe
and walk in that position.
"All movement is an expenditure of en-
ergy and every expenditure of energy /:
exercise, whether made for pleasure or fol
work, or in the definite pursuit of some
ultimate object other than pleasure. The
question, it seems to me, is exceedingly
natural: Why isn't "a laborer-a longshore
man, for eXample-an Apollo Belvedere il
figure instead of being as he generally is
a rough and clumsy fellow? Why isn't tn,
constant exertion which he makes for a
least eight hours day calculated to de
velop his body toward physical perfection
Why is it, as a matter of fact, that hi
only advantage over his weather. brethren
in the brotherhood of humanity-brethrel
who never do stroke of work, for exam
! pie, and perhaps never eXercise-ls that h
can eat and assimiate food which the.
would not put before a dog?
( "The only way to develop the lungs is t.
inhale fresh air into them, and permit then
to expand to their fullest the muscles o
the shoulders and chest, or to to be pliabl
instead of tense. Most people carry thei
shoulders up and maintain such a tense
ness of the shoulder and chest muscles a
absolutely prevents the lungs ever expand
ing to their normal limit.
1 PROPER EXERCISE.
'If the exercising of the unused muscle
is necessary to keep the body healthy AM
strong and agile, every movement nov
popularity supposed to constitute exercise
should be abandoned, since there is N
movement in all our daily lives whic
doesn't force four times as much wor
upon the hexor as upon the extensor mus
cles. Stretching is the kind of exercis
that most of our muscles need and whic
they seldom get. You will see a man i
the morning, after a long nights sleer