Upright posture

“ Hence they are seen, when standing, with the hands clasped over the occiput, or the lumbar region, which would seem necessary to balance or ease of posture.
“The toes of the adult are strongly flexed and turned inwards, and cannot be perfectly straightened. In the attempt the skin gathers into thick folds on the back, shewing that the full expansion of the foot, as is necessary in walking, is unnatural. The natural position is on all fours, the body anteriorly resting upon the knuckles. ”

“ I confess I can discover none, except in the sedentary posture, before touched upon, which from long experience has been found by these artists to be the one most convenient for the exercise of their vocation. But I would beg the more stirring and locomotive part of the community, to whom the quiescent state of the tailor furnishes a perpetual fund of rudeness, to consider, that in the mere action of sitting (which they make so merry with) there is nothing necessarily ridiculous. That, in particular, it is the posture best suited to contemplation. ”

“ One and the same mode does not become every woman. You are especially attractive of face; then lie on your back.” (Art of Love, III., 771-773.)
This posture is by no means limited to one mode. The woman lying on her back, the rider may clasp her between his legs, or she may receive him between hers. Yet another position may be adopted, according as the woman lie back with legs stretched wide apart or with the knees raised. ”

“ Those subjected to too long standing, no doubt because the posture affords them relief, unconsciously contract the habit of frequently standing on the right leg—of standing at ease on it, as it is called—and at the same time of bending the left knee a little ”

“ They are cut to exert their greatest pressure at the waist and at the top and bottom are capable of exerting pressure only against the wearer's back. 3. They have strongly marked sacral curves, but are otherwise straight in the back, and are highly incurved at the waist in front.
Figure 3 is an outline of a representative specimen of the bad corset made from life by a very competent artist. The bad corsets uniformly moved the center of gravity back and effected an important alteration of posture. ”

“ Bodies are never interred in a sitting posture, though that manner is sometimes observed when deposited in the lodge above ground and the posture preserved by stakes driven in around the body with forks on the end supporting the different members and equilibrium. ”

“ The boys, perhaps, will find a large dent or wrinkle in their clothing in front at the pit of the stomach. This shows that their posture is wrong.
WHERE TO BEND THE BODY. If you wish to bend forward, the pivot is at the hips; the spine should not be bent at all. When a child is reminded that his posture is wrong, he is apt to straighten up with a jerk, throw his shoulders far back and thrust his chest 74forward like a pouter pigeon. ”

“ There is no question that a great deal of spinal curvature in childhood, to say nothing of round shoulders and flat chests, are directly the result of the improper sitting posture in the schools which is enforced upon the children because of the unsuitable character of their seating arrangements. Thus we practically begin life hampered by an unsatisfactory environment, so far as our sitting posture is concerned.
The chair back or the desk chair should fit the human back. It. should favor and not hamper one in assuming a normal and straight position of the spine. ”

“ The correction of this fault by persistent toeing in, Indian fashion, and daily exercise of the leg muscles (rising on the toes twenty to forty times night and morning) , will do much to prevent flat foot.
Chairs
Not only in standing, but in sitting, erect posture has been found to be a much more important factor in the maintenance of good health than is generally supposed. A rocker, or any other chair which tilts, is restful to the abdominal circulation, if the lower back is properly supported. Bad posture is com mon among sedentary people. ”

“ The legs, especially the thighs, are long. The foot is long and strong, and rests its lower surface, not merely the outer margin as in apes, on the ground. The elastic arch of the instep must be excepted in the above description, and adds lightness and swiftness to his otherwise slow gait. The great toe is short and generally [93] not opposable. The muscles of the leg are heavy and the knee-joint has a very broad articulating surface. But the great result of man's erect posture is that the hand is set free from the work of locomotion, and has become a delicate tactile and tool-using organ. ”

“ This "lopping" disturbs the harmonious relation of the weights of shoulders, abdomen, head, and the large lower gluteal muscles with which nature has cushioned the lower part of the body, and so they are obliged to readjust themselves to balance each other, and the awkward, ungainly, unhealthful posture results. ”

“ Habitual sitting or standing in a leaning posture, or standing upon one foot, thus constantly using one set of the muscles of the back, while the other becomes enfeebled by the lack of exercise, is a common cause of this deformity. The habit which so many school-girls contract of drawing up one foot under the body while sitting, often produces a lateral curvature of the spine. ”

“ A variety of incorrect postures, all more or less harmful to health, are induced by incorrect corsets. The almost universal deformity among women caused mainly by wrong corsets is the protruding abdomen. This occurs in the slender type of woman with faulty posture as well as in the woman who is over-fat. ”

“ In children faulty posture may mar the future of the individual by causing spinal curvature and physical deformities that interfere with physical and mental efficiency throughout life, and often lower the resistance to disease. Deep breathing through the nose and “setting up” exercises are of incalculable importance in such cases.
The various types of faulty posture are so numerous that they can not be listed here. Having once grasped the meaning of correct posture, however, we can form a standard for ourselves, and any departure from this standard should be looked upon as a menace to health. ”

“ SUMMARY OF ORDINARY OFFICE TESTS, AND DIRECTIONS TO PATIENTS. Posture.—The patient stands on a mark on the floor, sideways to a paper on the wall, and shoulder-blade and buttock are in­dicated on the paper. The difference in these two points, with the corset and without, shows in a moment whether the corset affects the posture favorably or unfavorably and correction is required. Pressure.—The hand passed within the corset, together with a note of the distance between the steels as they spring open, give the location of pressure—whether down-thrusting or lifting—and its degree. ”

“ In this posture he must pull the head with considerable force, gently twisting it at the same time, if the face be turned to one side, till he perceives that the joint is replaced, which may be known from the noise which the bones generally make when going in, the patient’s beginning to breathe, and the head continuing in its natural posture. ”

“ For example, the buttocks, together with the lower part of the back, are raised off the bed, while the shoulders, elbows, and the heels remain stationary. A day or so before getting up the patient should practice alternately raising herself from the recumbent to the sitting posture and returning to the above position without assistance from the arms. ”

“ We consider the structure of the human extremities, and enlarge upon the flatness of the foot, and the flexibility of the hand. The one is subservient to the erect posture, the other to the innumerable manipulations which human industry demands. ”

“ I have noticed this time after time in pupils, even when they have overcome the same difficulty in the neck positions. In a short time the hand will get accustomed to the change of posture, in the meantime the knuckles must be kept quite flat, and the finger joints bent outwards. ”

“ Second Subject Second subject, in plate 9, illustrates a very fashionable "flat­tening hip" corset, such as has been sold by thousands the past two seasons in the best shops of this country. The directions of the extreme pressures are indicated by the arrows. The body is cramped through lower part of thorax and hips until it is im­possible to assume an erect posture. ”

“ The body ought, on no account, to be placed in a crooked posture; as it impedes the circulation of the blood, and pre-disposes the system to swoonings, or apoplectic fits. Lying on the back is equally improper ”

“ When it is necessary to lean over a desk, acquire the habit of inclining the body for ward by bending at the hips and not by distorting the chest.
The arms should hang easily from the shoulder and the elbows should not rest upon the table. The shoulders should be evenly square, as in the correct standing posture. ”

“ He walks rather quick in the erect posture, but with a waddling gait, and is soon run down if, whilst pursued, he has no opportunity of escaping by climbing.... When he walks in the erect posture, he turns the leg and foot outwards, which occasions him to have a waddling gait and to seem bow-legged. ”

“ When the flat-footed individual stands it should be upon the outer borders of his feet, or better still, when convenient, on tip-toe, as this posture strengthens those muscles of the leg which run into the sole of the foot and hold up the bony arches. ”

“ The reclining posture is a perfectly natural one, the limbs and feet being slightly drawn up. The figure appears as if a person had fallen there and died. There seem to be evidences of considerable physical anguish in the position of the limbs, of the body, and in the tension of the nerves as well as the contraction of the muscles (which are fully developed.) The right hand rests upon the lower abdomen, and the left is pressed against the back directly opposite. The left foot is thrown partially over the right one, the leg resting partly upon its fellow, but not crossing it. ”

“ Miss Anna Wood has given measurements closely similar to those of Professor Sargeant, in her composite figure of the Wellesley College girl, being averaged from the measurements of over 2,000 young women.
Given the height, proportion, and weight of an average physique for the man and woman, what should be the attitude or posture of such an individual, especially when standing? By posture is meant a position of equilibrium of the body which can be maintained for some time, such as standing, sitting, or lying. ”

“ Civilized men and women spend such a very large part of the time in a sitting position that the bodily posture when sitting down is a very great factor in the bodily welfare and health. Special thought and study, therefore, should be given the question of the sitting posture. Unfortunately, this particular subject seems to have been ignored absolutely for hundreds of years in the making of our chairs.
It is just as harmful to sit all humped over as it is to stand in such a position. The nervous system cannot be maintained at its best unless the spine is held reasonably erect. ”

“ In right-handed people, the light should fall over the left shoulder or directly from above. The body should rest upon the full length of the thighs, not solely on the buttocks, and the feet (not legs) be crossed and resting lightly on the ground on their outer edges. In other words, the position should be freed from strain, especially strain of special groups of muscles.
Pains, erroneously ascribed to rheumatism or sciatica, are often due to faulty posture. Writer’s cramp and many other needless miseries are caused by neglect to develop proper postural habits in working or reading. ”

“ During her seclusion she may neither move nor lie down, but must always sit in a squatting posture. She may not touch her hair with her hands, but is allowed to scratch her head with a comb or a piece of bone provided for the purpose. ”

“ He lifts us to a sitting posture, places himself behind us, and folds his arms around our body, alternately tightening and relaxing his clasp, as if to test the elasticity of the ribs. Then seizing one arm, he draws it across the opposite shoulder, until the joint cracks like a percussion-cap. ”

“ In sitting, also, the most comfortable posture is the most healthful; that is, with the body squarely placed on the seat, and equally supported upon the pelvis—not leaning back against the chair, unless the chair should chance to be so constructed that it supports the lower part of the back and keeps the body erect. ”

“ IV. The Waste of Energy which Results from Faulty Posture.—Weak foot, in its final stage flat-foot, is more common in women than in men because it is not purely a local condition in the arch of the foot, but primarily due to a weakened condition of the leg muscles that support the arch. Weak feet are gradually converted into flat-feet by faulty standing and walking and lack of leg exercises. ”

“ The suppleness of body which distinguished the female fellah212 is marvellous. She rarely sits down. When she requires rest she crouches with her knees in the air in an attitude which we should find singularly fatiguing. So too with the men. Their habitual posture corresponds to that shown on the steles: the knees drawn up in front of the face to the height of the nose, or on each side of the head and level with the ears. ”

“ The reason for this is that in a sitting posture there is too much lateral movement in the trunk of the body, while in a standing position this is more easily controlled. When the arm swings freely, as in ordinary writing, several joints of the body are affected in the process, each of which is capable of its own motion. Holding the elbow against one’s ribs “breaks” these motion tendencies, except that of the wrist, which movement is necessary in writing, and thus the pencil, or pen, is more easily controlled. ”