How shall we attain normal poise?
The erect posture is pre-eminently characteristic of man, and his whole skeleton is modified with reference to it. Nevertheless, the power of maintaining it is only slowly learned in the first years after birth, and for long it is unsafe. And though we finally learn to stand erect without conscious attention, the maintenance of the posture always requires the co-operation of many muscles, co-ordinated by the nervous system.
In standing with the arms straight by the sides and the feet together, the center of gravity of the whole adult body lies in the articulation between the sacrum and the last lumbar vertebræ and the perpendicular drawn from it will reach the ground between the feet, within the base of support afforded by them. With the feet close together, however, the posture is not very stable, and in standing, we commonly make it more so, by slightly separating the feet, so as to increase the base. The ease with which we stand is largely dependent upon the way in which the head is nearly balanced on the top of the vertebral column, so that but little muscular effort is needed to keep it upright.
In the same way the trunk is almost balanced on the hip joints; but not quite, its center of gravity falling rather behind them, so that just as some muscular effort is needed to keep the head from falling forwards, some is needed to keep the trunk from toppling backwards at the hips. In a similar manner, other muscles are called into play at other joints, as between the vertebral column and the pelvis, and at the knees and ankles; thus a certain rigidity, due to muscular effort, extends all along the erect body, which, on account of the flexibility of its joints, could not be otherwise balanced on its feet, as a statue can.
The modern long corset is the most healthful garment ever known in the whole history of corset wearing, if it is worn as the designers intended it should be worn. If the long corset is properly selected and put
