Page:Caplin - Health and Beauty1864 - 074.png

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74
Health and Beauty.

chest. All the bones are more or less under the command of the muscles, and in such a case as that which we are supposing, it is the weakness of the muscles of the back that has caused the deformity; and, as a natural consequence, the exercise of those muscles will restore their healthy action, and with it the figure to its natural position.

As a general rule, one arm is stronger than the other, and requires a separate exercise to restore the equilibrium; and this we attain by moving the members in such a manner as shall act upon the part that needs our aid; but in order to give the whole arm and shoulder full play, other exercises are requisite, especially those which appeal to the muscles of the back and lower extremities; for, as a general rule, it is not well to appeal to an isolated set of muscles only.

Respecting the materials of which the clothing should be composed, we can only offer the most general observations, as this must depend in some measure upon the taste of the parents. The cloth­ing should always be light and warm; the frock and under-garments moderately loose, but always adapted to the outline of the body, so as to form a perfect fit, and their weight sustained upon the shoulders. Flannel should be used, as, from its being a non-