Personal hygiene and physical training for women

by Anna M. Galbraith

The front of the corset is frequently carried too high up, and does not leave the epigastric region sufficiently free. The corset must absolutely not be thoracic, and must definitely renounce the support of the breasts, which should be accomplished when necessary by an extra bust supporter. The long straight corset immobilizes the trunk in the same manner as the curved front corset.

The Abdominal Corset.—In 1902 Madame Gaches-Sarraute proposed to abandon the thoracic corset and to introduce instead the abdominal corset. This corset embraces the pelvis without compressing it, and takes as the foundation of its support the bony girdle; the plan of the line of support is oblique, and inclined forward in such a way that there can be no compression.

In this way the pressure, instead of coming from above and annuling the contractions of the abdominal muscles, comes below and reinforces their action; the stomach resumes its normal position, and is supported in the plane of its greater curvature, facilitating its functions, so that digestion will be performed under the most favorable conditions.

The abdominal corset should not exceed the height of the false pelvis, should have as the base of support the bony girdle of the pelvis, and should be rectilinear in front and very slightly curved in the back and below. The hips should be simply surrounded and their projection preserved. A curve which follows the normal sinuosity of this plane joins the piece from the hips with that of the abdomen.

The part corresponding to the back must be sufficiently wide and free, so that the posterior borders of the corset will be parallel when it is put on, and the plane preserved for the back in the pieces which form the corset. This garment will be adjusted without strain in the back, and it will embrace the form of the body so exactly that it can be put on without being unlaced.

The frame of the corset must be reduced to a minimum—a rigid busk in front and some whalebones in the back; the hips remain free, and a slight, separate brace supports the breasts.

Fig. 20.—The abdominal corset (O’Followell).

The Wearing of Corsets by Young Girls.—The greatest dangers come from putting corsets on young girls who are still growing and are very imperfectly developed, and later by an undue constriction of the lower part of the thorax and the waist, so that the development of the entire body and its organs is seriously interfered with and all beauty of form is prevented.

The muscles of the back, like those of the abdomen, are prevented from their full development, and, later, in their action, by the use of the corset. The earlier the corset is put on, the more pernicious will be the effects, because during the period of growth the bony framework is more pliable and delicate, so that a relative slight compression is sufficient to make an indelible impression upon the form. Before the complete development of the hips and the entire bony framework an enormous amount of harm is done by the wearing of corsets.