The Indianapolis journal., 1903-11-15
CORSETS PREVENT BADNESS.
Scientist Declares that Even Belt
Will Stop the Falling of Hair,
Milwaukee Sentinel.

Milwaukee Sentinel.
"Hoch' the corset!
Down with the S dress % msch weS sSe sas
no form to refOrm-fOr she Is the trlend OF
the baldhead microbe.
Execrated. ridiculed, declared a menace
to health, the corset now may hold up lts
strings For the corset has found a friend
1t is declared to be certain cure for bald
but comes forward with baldheaded facts
He blames badness on exclusively ao-
dominal or deep breathing. which men
affect. and In which the corset does not
allow women to indulge.
Without going into scientific disserta-
ton on breathing, 1t may be stated tnat
the lower portion of the stomach plays its
part in the process OF respiration.
Now. the ordinary man. says this investi-
gator, allows the lower portion OF the
stomach to play too great part In the
confines the breathing Of the fair sex more
largely to the upper portion OF the chest,
and woman retains her crown of glory.
In the pursuit Of his Investigations the
chemist selected various animals which
breathe properly, and fitted them with an
apparatus which forced what is called ex-
clusively abdominal breathing. Dogs. cats
and even birds fitted with these unique and
wrongly constructed corsets actually lose
their hair or feathers after few months
Of wear!
The chemist killed two or three of these
luckless creatures and examined their lungs.
In every instance he found In them crys-
talllZeQ substance WHICH, Wneu pldtcu IN
solution and applied to the bodies of healthy
animals, caused the hair or feathers TO IAN
out
This crystallized substance was found only
in the lungs of creatures forced to adopt
this exclusively abdominal breathing. 1t
therefore is evident that 1t was produced by
that form of respiration. Once In the lungs,
it is tolerably certain that its effects will be
felt on the head Of man.
How does it fare with the few ladies who
do not wear corsetS?
1t is impossible to answer for all advo-
Gates of dress reform In women, but there
are not wanting several instances of such
advocates deploring the falling OF Of the
and one American lady mo corset advo-
cate has become as bald as the proverbial
billiard ball. She has suffered from no ILL
ness, and there is literally nothing to ac-
count for this rather sudden calamity except
the abandonment Of the corset
On the other hand, 1t Is argued that mil
lions of men who do not wear stays have
an abundance of hair.
1t has been set forth on competent au-
thority that at least so per cent. of the
men of the present day are afflicted
with badness, and that the percentage is
increasing alarmingly.
This fact alone rather upsets the argu-
ment that has just been set down, and to
thousands of men habitually wear n belt,
not necessarily of leather or worn outside
the waistcoat, which, although they are
unaware of 1t, acts as a pair of stays with
regard to the process Of breathing.
From inquiries made in this connection
the weight of evidence is in favor of a
good head of hair in the possession OF men
who wear these belts, which are sometimes
mere strips of flannel.
After weighing all the evidence the chem
list takes his stand boldly on the assertion
that the wearing Of corsets Is a preventive
and cure for badness.