Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1914-08-05
THE LINE OF GRAVITY.

A plumb line dropped IN front OF a
normal human figure will be found to
run down through the center of the
nose and chin and, splitting the trunk
| of the body along the median line
| through the navel, will touch the
ground at a point midway between the
| two feet.
| Viewed from the side, plumb line
will cut the posterior edge of the ira
| gus (the prominence at the external
| opening of the earl, pass through the
middle of the head of the humerus
in the shoulder joint, cut the posterior
edge Of the femur (thigh bone) in the
hip joint and, passing through the
middle of the knee joint, through the
middle of the end of the fbula (the
bony prominence just outside the
ankle joint will touch the ground at
point approximately two and one
half inches anterior to the back OF
the heel.
! This normal type Of figure is in ex-
act mechanical balance, and by reason
of the automatic operation of the CO
ordinating centers of the sympathetic
nervous system requires no conscious
| effort or undue expenditure of energy
| to maintain the body in the upright
/ position.
Departure from this standard nor
NAL type falls into two general
classes: one in which the hip and
knee joints are thrown behind the line
| of gravity, and the other in which the
hip and knee joints are found in front
of the line of gravity.
| Because of the characteristic atti-
tude assumed in order to compensate
the displaced points of gravity the
former has been designated THE Kan
CARGO and the latter The Gorilla"
| type of figure.
Both these abnormal types maintain
the erect position only by reason OF
more or less voluntary effort and by
| virtue of an undue tension on certain
| muscles necessary to overcome the
| gravitational pull; both are chronic
| sufferers from backaches and head
aches, and both are subject to all
sorts of muscular rheumatisms.
| Quacks get rich coming the desire for
relief from these chronic and most
mysterious" pains; and many dag
noses of diseases that never exist are
| made because Of them. But it is grav-
/ ity that makes the backaches and
most of the headaches-not disease;
and these conditions are usually ag-
gravated by the wrong kind of shoes
and the wrong kind of corsets.
II a building is out of plumb, alarm
is felt for the welfare of the people
in 1t lest it fall down, and the authori-
ties send expert engineers to investi-
gate the foundations Not until the
| weak spots are repaired and the build
/ ing is lacked back into line is it con-
sidered safe to inhabit. The founda-
ton of anything is the base on which
| 1t stands on the earth, and man has
not yet succeeded in making statue
| of the normal erect human figure in
bronze, marble, wood or any other
| medium capable of standing firmly
without being bolted to a substantial
base. This would appear. to indicate
| that our foundation, the feet, are none
| too firm and that therefore we are not
| in a position to take liberties with
them because the margin of stability
| is too small. But we do so to our
great detriment.
| Standing together two normal feet
| show perfectly straight line, and
straight tread or Meyers line"
tending from the center Of the tip
! the great toe through it's base to
center of the heel. Taking "Meye
line" as a base, line prolonged fire.
the center of the heel at an equal d
lance from the outside line OF y |
foot will cut through the center OF q
| head Of the fourth metatarsal bo
/ and follow the median line to the el
/ of the fourth toe, striking an angle Il |
about 16 degrees And a diagol
| line drawn through the middle of Z
bearing surface of the anterior fd
will cut Meyers line" at about T. i
| big toe joint on an angle of 81 degre
and will cut the line extending fro
| the center of the heel to the tip Of tt
/ fourth toe on an angle OF about
degrees. AS matter of fact the CD
| ter of the bearing surface OF Is
normal foot approximates a section
| circle drawn on radius of ADD
| one-third the length Of the foot fro
/ about the middle of the arch to POT
midway between the head of the fl II
/ metatarsal bone and the end Of Z III
| great toe. I'LL
Because our shoemakers do not
low the anatomical line of the bearl
surface of our feet our base is wrd
and we are not firm and sure of is
and we are crippled and exhaust |
/ thereby and made less alert than
should be- We instinctively have co
dence in the ability of well balane
figure and we instinctively expect So
| idness and stupidity In the "gorill
| type. People tending towards eth :
/ of the abnormal types should pay pI
ticular attention to the fit and adju
! ment of all garments worn because |;