Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-18
Corse+s Both
Good and Bad
For Backache
Apparent Paradox Cited
After Long Study
BY LOGAN CLENDENING, NJ. ID


CORSETS, I am told, are some
" what passe now. do not
get around as much as ! used to,
so l get information entirely
from hearsay. but / gather that
backache is just about as prev
alent as it ever was.
In the old days a great many
backaches used to be ascribed to
corsets. and nowadays we pre-
scribe corsets for many cases of
backache.
This apparent paradox has
been explained by DR.. Frank
Ober of Boston.
He points out that 30 years
ago Doctors Reynolds and Lovett
published their studies on the
relationship between corsets and
chronic backache.
They spent long time in the
experimental study of body bal
ance and fatigue as related 10
posture and support.
In THE days when corse
L were more common than they
are now. they decided that the
ordinary corset, which was worn
for aesthetic and fashionable
purposes, could be divided into
three classes: neutral, bad and
good.
Most ready-made corsets are
Of the neutral kind. They do
not produce bad posture. nor do
they correct bad posture.
The bad corSets produce back
ache, and they have three COM
mon characteristics.
First: they are too long be-
hind and too short in front:
second: they exert the most
pressure at the waist line;
third: they accent the curves
over the lower part of the back,
but otherwise do not follow the
anatomy of the back.
The good corset should be
short behind and long in front.
especially at the bottom.
They should be fitted snugly
around the pelvis, curved in at
the waist line in back, but
showing no curve in front.
THESE principles still apply.
l. A good corset will help a
lame back and a bad corset will
make a lame back worse.
Nowadays il is easier TO in
duce man to wear a corset for
correction of backache and pos
ture difficulty than it is a
woman.
A healthful corset should
come up to the following re-
quirements:
1t should be long enough in
front to support and TO lift the
abdomen.
1t should follow the curves of
the back snugly; that is. the
back steels of the corset must
be bent so that this occurs.
1t should be long enough be-
hind TO give a good hold over
the buttocks and should not
reach the shoulder blades above.
1t should not be tight around
the waist in front.
THE most important feature Is
L the way it fits over the hip
bones.
Few corset makers realize how
essential il is to secure this re-
quirement.
The corset must fit snugly so
that the crest of the pelviS fits
into sort of pocket.
II this is not done, the corset
will slide up and be useless.
Finally. along with the use of
properly fitted corset for back
ache. physical therapy TO restore
the tone of the muscles. massage
and special exercises should be
instituted.
QUESTIONS. ANSWERS
G.. X. Cts buttermilk a
good substitute for whole milk !?
If one were to drink at least two
glasses of buttermilk each day,
but never drank any whole milk,
would he be getting the i'm
portant things the whole milk
gave him?
Answer: Buttermilk contains
on the average, per cent pro-
TEN, II of ! per cent fat and 4
per cent carbohydrate.
II is therefore the same as
whole milk except for fat, of
which whole milk contains 4 per
cent.
1t contains the essential vita
minis except d.
On account of its low fat con-
tent. it is a good substitute for
| milk in a reducing diet.