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weight from falling; the parties not considering, that the head might be kept duly level, and the weight maintained in its position, while the middle and lower part of the spinal column might be in a position as far as possible removed from a straight line! But not only was this so far wrong and irrational: it involved the further absurd condition that the spine is a column without curves, whereas its curvatures forward and backwards are considerable in the cervical, the dorsal, and the lumbar regions;-the crowning error of all being, however, that the extra pressure from above downwards, could only tend to increase any existing tendency to curvature, from general weakness of system, or from local debility or disease of the muscular ligaments or bones of the spinal column! How different this, it may be added, to the injunction so often given by mothers and governesses, to sit quite straight, and to maintain this position during all the hours of the day, that are not considered to be stolen from the primary duties of acquiring education and the accomplishments, to be devoted to the routine walk for the so-considered secondary purposes of health. This said straight position has been, moreover, perseveringly and resolutely striven for, in no few cases, by making these victims of physiological ignorance and medical supineness, sit on benches of studious narrowness,—and, of course, without the excuse or opportunity of resting the spine against any support for the back. It has been but too often forgotten, at least practically forgotten, that the muscles of the spine are at least in passive

exercise,—both in antagonism to the corresponding muscles of the other side of the column, and in maintaining the body in the vertical position,-when the individual is sitting or standing, or otherwise than in the horizontal posture; and therefore that even long sitting, without enforcing the sitting in any constrained or painful position, may be an undue tax on those muscles, in the feeble, and more especially during the years of growth or of development; that to minister to the healthiness of the general system, to promote the vigour of the muscular system generally, is essential to their being kept in a state of health and strength; and, moreover, that these muscles must not be unwisely used at the expense of the general vigour of the economy, or, sooner or later, not only will that vigour suffer, but the muscles which support the vertebral column will eventually become impaired, and spinal curvature necessarily follow. It must be added to this, to complete the truthfulness of the picture, and illustrate fully the amount of wrong done by ignorance to the physiques, and the chances of health and life, of the young and growing, that the mischief of keeping the spinal muscles in a state of forced and exhausting effort is necessarily and much increased, if, by position or otherwise, the use of one set of the muscles is enforced in an especial degree: a result manifestly consequent on protracted leaning to one side, or stooping over a table, desk, or work-frame; and that thus, the long and sedulous performance upon the harp or piano, the length of time devoted to writing, accounts, drawing,

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mapping, stitching, "knitting, netting, and knotting," "crochet," or the embroidery frame, may be, by so much, laying up evils for the after-life, far greater than any personal or social advantage to be obtained by so much time, labour, and efforts, devoted to the acquisition of information, or the attainment of ever so high a degree of skill in such several accomplishments. Perhaps most of the good sought to be realised, without any of the evil, might be gained, by varying frequently the several duties, and consequently changing the position: not allowing more than perhaps half an hour at a time to be devoted to any one of the scholastic duties; but, above all, by seeing that these duties are proportioned to the physical powers of the pupil,—and that, at the same time, the means of health, by out-of-door and general exercise, are as much thought of, and as diligently studied and practised, as the development of the mind's powers and capabilities, or the securing the full development, and the educated and practised movements, of the muscles of the fingers.

That curious-looking machine, the chamber-horse, or invalid's horse: consisting of a seat, supported upon springs, by means of which, aided only by the exertions of the body and the arms, a certain degree of movement and exercise of the whole body is secured, often subserves a very useful purpose in the case of invalids, who are unable to leave the house, and to whom the use of their lower limbs may be, for many reasons, prohibited, or prove to be insufficient for the purposes of exercise. But it is probable,

after all, that more useful exercise of the different parts of the body, and exercise more easily adapted to the nature of the case and the powers of the patient, may be obtained by a due adjustment of weights of different degrees, and pulleys in different directions, than by any other means of exercise obtainable within doors. As mentioned in the quotation from Sir Benjamin Brodie's lecture, by means of a pulley of adequate size, securely screwed into a beam of the ceiling of the room-bed-room, dressing-room, school-room, play-room, or hall, or garden-house, as may be, and another pulley screwed into the floor immediately beneath it,— and a strong rope of adjusted size, from the friction of which the hands may be sufficiently protected by thick gloves, almost any variety or degree of exercise may be obtained: fastening a weight of properly considered size to the one end of the rope, and passing the rope over one or both pulleys, and over the upper, or lower pulleys in the first instance, according to the direction of the force sought to be employed, and the sets of muscles especially required to be called into exercise. But medical men should feel, that to carry this out advantageously,—or even safely, in the case of the invalided,— their judgment and personal observation and watching are essentially needful. A sufficiently convenient arrangement is, to have two pulleys screwed into a beam of the ceiling of a room, three or four feet apart from one another, and corresponding pulleys screwed into the floor immediately beneath them. A rope,

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to which a weight of desired size is securely fastened, is carried from the weight which lies on the floor over one of the pulleys screwed into the ceiling, and under the corresponding pulley screwed into the floor beneath it; the second weight of the same size is fastened to a similar rope, and this rope is passed over and under the two other pulleys; the party sits or stands in the space between the ropes and pairs of pulleys, and either raises the weights by taking hold of the middle of the ropes and depressing the arms and trunk of the body,-or raises the weights by taking the end of the ropes after they have passed under the lower pulleys, and raising the bent body and depressed arms and shoulders. A useful exercise for those who are much crippled and almost confined to the chair, is to have a perfectly smooth and round log of wood, about two or three feet long, and from six to twelve inches in diameter,-to use this as a footstool, at any time, but frequently to roll it backward and forward by moving the legs and feet. In cases of stiffness or contraction of the knees or ankles, this exercise will be found to be peculiarly useful.

The remarkable results of a system of training, deserve to be adduced in confirmation of the effects produced by muscular exercise on the animal economy. This system is called into requisition, when men, horses, dogs, &c., are required to make unusual exertions, and display the utmost activity, or the greatest strength, they are severally capable of. The effect of a prescribed and regulated diet, and of breathing a pure