The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-04-30
About Tight Clothing.

The more loosely clothing it's the
less it conducts heat, because layer of
air is interposed between it and the
body-and air is an exceedingly bad
conductor of heat. This protecting lay
er of air enables the body in winter to
keep it's normal temperature the more
easily, because the heat given off at the
surface of the body passes slowly
through it whereas; if the clothing fit
to closely to the skin heat is dissipat-
ed with much greater rapidity. In sum-
mer time, on the other hand, the air in
which we move is not SO warm as the
objects upon which the SUMS rays fall
directly, and so the surface of clothing
may become much hotter than the air
surrounding them. The advantage of
the layer of the air is obvious also in
this case. Therefore we see that in hot
and in cold weather, too tightly-ftting
clothing defeats the first and great OBJ
ject of wearing clothes and tends to ex-
haust the bodily strength and make it
unfit for work.
Again, the clothing must be so con-
suructed as not to interfere with the
freedom OF the movement of any part of
the body; otherwise the due performance
of some function is interfered with, SO
that injury results. A small foot may
be desirable possession but it is USE
less to attempt to obtain it b. the COM
preston of the foot by too small a pair
of boots. Freedom of movement is at
once impaired, and graceful, easy walk
ing is a sheer impossibility. The victim
of tight boots is self revealed by the
ungainly gaia much more conspicu-
GUS infirnlity than large foot. In ad-
dition to the discomfort necessarily ex-
perienced, permanent injury may be
ca sed to the structures of the foot. De-
formity of the toe results, and one par
ticular deformity, known as hammer
toe, is often thus produced, the pressure
of the boot causing the Toes to override
one another. The great toe becomes
turned outwards, the ball b comes I'M.
duly prominent, and walking becomes
difficult. A commoner result of tight
shoe is the formation of corns. When.
ever any part of the body is subjected
to intermittent pressure, thickening of
the tissues occurs at that spot and acorn
is the result which is capable of causing
extreme pain, especially if slig htly in
famed. The i'll effects of tight shoes are
sometimes increased by having the heel
W hich is generally much too high placed
almost under the middle of the foot, and
the climax of absur 1ity is reached by
making the front of the shoe point
sharply. By this type of shoe improving
toe nail-a most painful condition-is
often induced.
The corset is also very frequently worn
too tight. AS means of support the
corset is doubtless of use, but worn too
tightly it presses down the diaphragm
and interferes with the organs of diges-
tion and circulation. 1t is notorious how
frequently very tightly laced ladies
suffer from chronic Indigestion. How
places where the heat may he oppressive!
Nor is the effect of tight clothing con-
faed to such complaints. The bones and
organs suffer from this influence, and af-
ter death they are found to be deeply
grooved. corresponding to the points of
pressure, and greatly disolaced. I have
no doubt whatever but that many of