The adjustable chairs and desks now used in schools are a marked improvement upon the
school furniture which has caused so many deformities in the past.
One of the serious deformities caused by habitual faulty posture is curvature of the spine. A curvature not only injures a child's appearance and thus handicaps him in later life, but it brings strains and pressure upon the organs of the chest and abdomen which may seriously impair his health. As curvatures often pass unnoticed in their early stages, every child should be inspected occasionally when all his clothing has been removed, to see whether the weight is borne evenly on both feet, whether the development of the two sides is uniform, and whether the head and shoulders are properly carried. It should be noticed when the child stands, whether one shoulder is higher than the other, whether one shoulder blade projects more than the other, whether one hip is higher than the other, and whether one hand is lower than the other when
the arms are hanging at the sides. The child should walk both toward and away from the observer, who should notice whether the child uses the two sides of his body in the same way, and whether he drags or shuffles his feet or has other abnormalities of gait.
If abnormalities are found, a physician should be consulted. Often corrective exercises are all that is needed, and no one should put braces of any kind upon a child unless they have been prescribed by a physician. No attempt should be made to correct the common tendency of children to toe in or "walk pigeon-toed." Toeing-in is a natural manner of walking during the
formative period and tends to strengthen the arch of the foot, while toeing-out tends to weaken the arch and to cause flat foot or broken arches.
Fig. 33.—Lateral Curvature. (From Bancroft's "Posture of School Children." The Macmillan Co., New York.)
