Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-12-08

ance every healthy infants SHINE
conforms. or nearly conforms. to an
established type. However. A soon
as the voluntary control appears in
the spine the typical curves bepin
forming. In other words, the yerte-
Dral column, as q whole. ia struc.
turally and functionally inadeuuate
to sustain the weight OF the hodv
AS the child begins to walk and tha
psysioIogicai curves develop, the In
efficiency OF the spine becomes ap-
parent.
me inherent weakness of mans
spine Is made plain in the following
illustration, with which we are ali
familiar. Let us view the vertebral
column at the extremes of life,
When the muscular and nervous
systems do not aid nor reinforce the
column In the performance of it's
functions, and 1t Is thrown upon its
own intrinsic resources. At the be-
ginning OF life, weakness Of the
spine Is striking. 1t is, indeed, the
most conspicuous feature of the
helplessness of human infancy. Also
toward the close OF life signs Of
spinal weakness are unmistakable.
The Inevitable stoop Of declining
years means failure Of the bony
framework at its weakest point.
One Of the most conclusive dem.
onstrations of the spine's inherent
weakness Is a comparison of the
skeletal support of day laborers and
athletes with that observed In men
who lead sedentary lives.
In the man Of sedentary habit the
spine 10 more normal than In that
Of the weiI-deveIoped day Iaborer or
athlete. And, paradoxical az Il may
seem, the spine Of the athlete 10 Far
more defective than the spine OF
the confirmed Invalid.
This because the lack Of exercise
on the part of the weakling or the
man of sedentary habits spares the
spine much strain, while the athlete
and day laborer by the constant pull
and strain upon the spine accentu-
ates its weaknesses and imperfec.
tions. The man Of powerful build,
the big, beefy man." therefore, has
a badly misshapen spine, while the
physical weakling has q graceful
spine.
A similar reason gives woman at
the middle or toward the end Of her
life better spine than that OF her
brother or her husband. Women as
class are more sheltered than
men. Indeed, their lives are reduced
to a minimum of muscular strain.
and the demands made by their
nervous system, that is, upon its
ligaments and muscular supports.
is correspondingly reduced.
A curious line of demarkation be-
tween the human being and the
lower animals is that the diseased
condition of the human being Is al
ways shown by a sore spot" 90 to
speak, in the spine. Whatever the
ailment, there will be found some
where in the vertebrae an indica
ton Of It. This is not SO among ami
mails. DR.. Arthur Hollis, the author
recently visited the various veteri
nary hospitals, where an examina
ton was made OF the spines of cat
and dogs acutely Ill. In not on
case was the spine affected. In viev
of these findings 1t would seem tina
there IL sufficient reason for tn,
conclusion that, unlike the humal
spine, the spines OF quadrupe1s ar,
not redexly affected In disease. Tn,
value OF these experimental and tn,
deduction therefrom lie In the fac
that the spines Of lower animals ar,
stronger and moro normal thar
ours, and that when disease attack
any order Of life It manifests itsel
1t the weakest point, which bring
10 back to the statement that hli
spine II the weakest spot In man.
had thought that the discover!
of the innate and inherent weak
ness Of the human spine was mi
own until recently. when ! read thiI
observation Of Spencer's:
THAT all-important organ. the yer
tebral column. 10 - yet but moon
pletely ADAPTED to the upright pos
tufe. Only while the vigor y con
0tderablo can thero b maintained