"Health and Medical Inspection of School Children." F. A. Davis Co.,
Philadelphia._)]

[Illustration: FIG. 31.--INCORRECT AND CORRECT STANDING POSTURES. (_From
Cornell, "Health and Medical Inspection of School Children," F. A. Davis
Co., Philadelphia._)]

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.

[Illustration: FIG. 32.--ROUND SHOULDERS. (_Goldthwait, from Pyle's
"Personal Hygiene."_)]

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.

[Illustration: FIG. 33.--LATERAL CURVATURE. (_From Bancroft's "Posture
of School Children." The Macmillan Co., New York._)]

[Illustration: FIG. 34.--"WING SHOULDER BLADES IN FORWARD SHOULDERS.
(_From Bancroft's "Posture of School Children." The Macmillan Co., New
York._)]

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.

PREDISPOSITION TO NERVOUSNESS.--Heredity plays an impor