The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-01-04
CLOTHES ARE AT FAULT
Gymnasium Costumes Mould be
More Appropriate Il 10 Said Than
Tight Shoes and
Dresses.

yelopnsent of several new diseases is
the statement made by DR., Louisa
Burns of Chicago. to Miss NJ NJ. Mar
shall who gives the doctors views In
the New York Evening World. Early
in her discussion Of the subject, DR..
Burns attacked one of the fasorite
arguments OF the tangomaniacs-that
modern dancing Is so good for middle
aged and old folks because 1t makes
them feel young again"
Tt is the middle-aged and the old
for whom violent indulgence in the
tango and kindred steps is particu-
larly dangerous" she declared The
young people are better able to stand
the strain But the man or woman In
middle life who hasn't danced or TAX
en- vigorous exercise for fifteen years
and who suddenly takes up this fran
tic dancing for hours every week, per.
haps every day, runs the risk If not
permanent Injury to health.
What makes most OF the trouble
Is the strain upon the bones which
form the pelvis, the bony ring inter
posed between the spinal column and
the lower extremities. The move
ments Of the dance mean a continual
wrenching and twisting OF these bones
as the body revolves and bends to one
side or the other Now In the back
these bones are in close proximity
with the lowcr vertsbrae OF the spinal
column. The abnormal straining and
wrenching Of the pelvis is easily trans
ferre9 to the spinal nerve, and injury
to that may have many unfortunate
results.
Damage Done by Clothes.
with women the straining Of the
pelvis may put out Of position and
hurt a number OF abdominal organs
This particular unhappy result OF an
excess Of dancing is even more likely
to affect young girls than older won
en-, and II there Is no letup in the
dance craze the next generation will
undoubtedly suffer.
"The clothes in which we dance are
so absurd. The exercise Is as violent
as that taken in gymnasium. yet
for gymnastic work women deliber-
ately leave of corsets. skirts and high
heeled shoes At an evening party
they try to dance in tight clothes and
French-heeled slippers, considerably
more uncomfortable and combining cos
tune than their everyday garb. The
result is that the parts OF the body
above and below the tightly compress
ed area are subjected to a Earring and
jolting which they would not feel II
it were evenly distributed over the
whole surface.
The tango foot" DR.. Burns con-
tinued, is complicated and aggra.
waited case OF fiat-foot. The arches are
broken. as In iat-foot. Moreover, In
the twisting Of the foot during the
steps OF the dance the weight falls
unevenly, first on one side, then on
the other. That strains and perhaps
gives a curvature to the sides Of the
feet The tango ankle is an ankle the
nerves Of which have been badly
strained by the swift and violent
movements OF the tango.
"The tango foot and ankle are both
exceedingly painful. and SO the suffer.
ers talk good deal about them. As
a matter of fact, they are minor com.
plants compared with some OF the
others due to the tango. Sciatica Is
form OF neuritis, and the latter may
easily afflict the tangoist with his
overworked nerves. A partial paraly.
sis often develops from sciatica. OF
such seriousness that the victim must
walk with a cane.
THE new dances put severe
strain on the heart Of the middle-aged
or elderly dancer whose arterial walls
have begun to harden. The unaccus'
toned and strenuous physical move.
ment, combined with the nervous and
emotional excitement, increases the
blood pressure to dangerous degree
An overworked heart and apoplexy
are results to be expected"
Many Cases Of Broken Bones.
DR.. Burns continued that many
cases Of broken bones had been re-
ported.
Here, too" she said, "the chief
sufferers are those past their first
youth. The bones Of these persons
are OF an increasing brittler.ass, break
with comparative ease and do not knit
together rapidly. Even where nc
bones are broken during the actual
dancing, the strain on the dancer Is
such that all the Joints and bone con
ractions are weakened and thus rem
dered liable to injury at the slightest
accident
Hours spent In the average dane
Ing room have a bad effect on the