4. The clothing should not be tight; and this for three reasons. First, because loose clothing is warmer than tight; this everyone has experienced in the case of gloves. The retention of air in the meshes of clothing is one of the main causes of its warmth, air being a bad conductor of heat. The imprisonment of air in the meshes of the material largely explains the warmth of eider-down quilts, furs, and flannels as contrasted with linen.
Secondly, clothing should not be tight, in order to avoid interference with the action of the muscles. Tight sleeves prevent the muscles of the arms and chest from being exercised. Tightly laced corsets imprison the trunk muscles, prevent their contractions, and so lead to muscular weakness and occasionally spinal curvature. Tight skirts similarly prevent free play of the lower limbs, leading to a halting gait, a diminished amount of exercise, with all the evils following deficient exercise. Tight clothing is not confined to one sex, and in all cases leads to hampered movements and deficient muscularity.
Thirdly, tight clothing tends to impede the functions of circulation, respiration, and digestion. The fashion which more than any other interferes with important functions is tight-lacing. This produces (1) compression and displacement of the viscera; the liver and the stomach especially suffer. (2) Respiration and circulation are impeded, the action of the diaphragm being impeded. (3) The muscles of the trunk being tightly encased, are incapable of movement, and consequently tend to waste and atrophy. The general outline of the body is altered. Instead of the waist being elliptical, as it naturally is, it becomes nearly circular; and instead of its circumference averaging twenty-six to twenty-seven inches, it may be eighteen to twenty-one inches. Tight garters tend to produce varicose veins.
Tight boots are injurious, as they tend to destroy the natural elasticity of the movements, and confine them within narrow limits. They act to some extent the part of splints. By interfering with the circulation of blood through the feet, they cause cold feet, and not uncommonly chilblains. High-heeled boots do not allow the natural elasticity of the foot to come into action. They distort the movements of the body and cause corns and bunions. Similar effects are produced by boots which are too narrow and have pointed toes, thus not allowing free movement of the toes.
5. The weight of the clothing should be the smallest amount consistent with warmth, and it should be evenly distributed. The chief weight should not be suspended from the waist, as here the parts are not well supported by bones. The shoulders and hips should share in the suspension of clothing, thus diminishing the danger of compression and displacement of internal organs. In order that garments may be as light as possible, they should be made to fit to each limb separately, thus diminishing the amount of material required.
6. The materials of dress should be as far as possible non-inflammable. This may sometimes be disregarded, but is often important, as in the nursery. In this respect, as in many others, wool possesses great advantages. Woollen fabrics smoulder rather than burst into flames, and thus the injury resulting from any accident is limited. Cotton is more inflammable than linen, linen than silk, and silk than wool. A closely woven cloth is less inflammable than one with open meshes.
Dress materials, and more particularly muslin, have been rendered non-inflammable by treating with a solution of ammonic phosphate, or ammonic phosphate and ammonic chloride mixed. The best material, however, is sodic tungstate, which, unlike the others, is not affected by ironing. Sodic molybdate is used in arsenals to render the workmen’s clothing non-inflammable. All the above plans are objectionable, as the weight of the material is increased 18 to 29 per cent., and they all wash out. To remedy this, a “fire-proof starch,” containing sodic tungstate has been devised.
Perfect non-inflammability is only required in certain dangerous occupations. The plans hitherto mentioned simply prevent the fabric breaking out into flame. The only cloth absolutely unaffected by fire is asbestos cloth.
7. Elegance of dress, although not so important as utility, is not to be neglected, and the two are perfectly compatible. In fact, elegance is indirectly associated with utility, for nothing which is awkward, or leads to obstructed movements or distortions of the body, is really elegant. A sudden constriction, as in a very tight waist, is not only bad from a hygienic point of view, but is also ugly.
Materials for Clothing.—The materials used are derived partly from the vegetable world, as hemp, flax, cotton; and partly from the animal world, as silk, wool, hair, feathers. The most important materials are wool, silk, cotton, and flax.