Abstract
THERE is a reason for everything, if we can only find it out, but it is sometimes very hard to discover the reasons of even the very simplest things. Every one who has travelled much, and even those who have merely looked through books of travels, must have been struck by the variety of attitudes assumed by the people of different countries. The Hindoo sits down on the ground with his knees drawn up close to his body, so that his chin will almost rest upon them; the Turk squats down cross-legged; the European sits on a chair; while the American often raises his legs to a level with his head. Nor are the postures assumed by the same people under varying circumstances less diverse. Climate or season, for example, will cause considerable alteration in the posture assumed, as was well shown by Alma Tadema, in his pictures of the four seasons exhibited in the Academy a year ago. In his representation of summer he painted a woman leaning backwards on a ledge, with one leg loosely hanging down, while the other was drawn up so that the foot was on a level with the body. In the picture of Winter, on the other hand, we saw a figure with the legs drawn up in front of the belly. The reason for these different postures has been explained by Rosenthal. The temperature of the body, as is well known, is kept up and regulated by the circulation of the blood through it, and a great proportion of the blood contained in the whole body circulates in the vessels of the intestines. Now the intestines are only separated from the external air by the thin abdominal walls, and therefore any change of temperature in the atmosphere will readily act upon them, unless they be guarded by some additional protection. The Hindoos are well aware of this, and they habitually protect the belly by means of a thick shawl or cummerbund, thus guarding themselves against any sudden change of temperature. This precaution is also frequently adopted by Europeans resident in hot climates, and is even retained by them after returning to England. But the function of the cummerbund may, to a certain extent be fulfilled by change of posture alone. When the legs are drawn up, as in the picture of Winter already referred to, the thighs partially cover the abdomen, and taking the place of additional clothing, aid the abdominal walls in protecting the intestines and the blood they contain from the cooling influence of the external air.
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ON THE SCIENCE OF EASY CHAIRS . Nature 18, 637–638 (1878). https://doi.org/10.1038/018637a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/018637a0