chiropractors is based almost wholly upon the value of spinal
stimulation and the remedying of spinal defects.

There is another way in which an erect carriage has a direct physical
influence, namely, in maintaining the proper position of the vital
organs. When the body is held erect the chest is full, round and
somewhat expanded, affording plenty of room for the heart and lungs.
This, in itself, is conducive to vitality as compared with the flat-
chested attitude. The stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas and intestines
all tend to drop or sag below their normal position when the body bends
forward. In maintaining an erect position all these organs are drawn
upward and held in their natural position, and this means greater
vigor and better functioning on the part of each. This particular
consideration is of special importance in the case of women. It all
goes to show the truly wonderful value of maintaining the spine in a
properly erect attitude.

The sitting position usually assumed is far from what it should be in
order to insure health. As a rule, we sit humped forward, with a
decided bend in the spine, ultimately developing splendid examples of
what we call round shoulders. The spine, while sitting, should be held
as nearly straight as possible. The position of the head, to a very
large extent, determines the general posture of the body. As nearly as
possible the chin should be held inward, downward and backward. I will
admit that this position is almost impossible when one is using the
ordinary type of chair.

An extraordinary effort is required to sit properly in the conventional
chair. Furniture of this sort should be made to fit the body in the same
way as our clothing does. The back of a chair should be made to fit the
backs of those who are to occupy the chair. The chair-back should, at
least to a reasonable extent, approximate the normal shape of the spine.
If the chair, throughout its entire back, cannot be thus shaped, then
it should be cut off even with the waist line of the occupant. Such a
low-back chair will usually allow one to sit erect without
serious discomfort.

There has been much criticism of American men on the ground that they
are inclined to sit down on the small of the back. They slide forward
in the chair, with the back bent over and the shoulders humped forward.
But the fault really lies with the construction of the chair. The back
of a chair does not fit