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TURNING COLLEGIANS INTO FIGHTERS 539
accomplished over night, but time and
persistence are a small price to pay
for the wonderful results that are obtained.
For example, a man comes to
Dr. Elsom with a bad case of flat feet.
His arches have fallen so completely
that even walking is extremely painful to
him.
The cut at the top of page 538 is a
record of just such a case. The righthand
imprint is an impression of this
man's foot when he came to the university.
After a month of special exercises
for strengthening the weak muscles and
ligaments, this
same foot gave
the imprint
shown at the
left. Flis foot
is beginning to
have a natural
arch again, and
the pain has
d i s a p peared
entirely. Uncle
S a m has
gained a potential
soldier.
Or let us
look at another
kind of cor­
rective work—
straightening
crooked backbones.
In the
left photograph on page 537 is a case
of spinal curvature, as Dr. Elsom found
it. This curvature indicated that the
muscles surrounding the spinal column
were out of adjustment. Fortunately, the
University of Wisconsin is getting hold
of young men with such backbones, and
using the magic of corrective exercise
before it is too late. The right-hand
picture shows what just six weeks of this
magic did to straighten out that kink.
A glimpse of one of the corrective
classes at work reveals a scene of bewildering
activity. Here are men hanging,
and stooping, and lifting, and twisting
into all sorts of queer shapes. Other
meii .ire working at rowing machines,
chest weights, and strange contrivances
such as we have never seen before. Perhaps
we may see a man walking about
with a brick on his head.
"No," Dr. Elsom answers our look of
inquiry, "he is not doing that because
there is anything wrong with his head,
though I don't blame you for suspecting
it. Carrying a weight on the head is an
excellent exercise to straighten round
shoulders. The minute that man forgets
to walk erect and straight, the brick will
fall off."
Several years ago a young man came
to Dr. Elsom
seeking to be
excused from
gym work altogether.
He was
a frail, timid
sort of fellow
who had been
lost in the
shuffle of the
general gym
classes, and
w h o because
of lack of selfc
o nfidence
avoided what
he m o s t
Learning Muscular Co-ordination
Walking these unevenly spaced bricks makes the muscles alert to all
calls from the brain and other nerve centers.
needed—plenty
of physical exercise.
Dr. Elsom
became
interested in his case, took him in
hand, and began helping him to help
himself. Soon this young man was
working enthusiastically to build himself
up, and in two years he had become one
of the best runners in the university.
It is a great work that corrective
gymnastics are doing at Wisconsin. It
will not be long before all the large universities
are following her example, and
making sure that they do not send forth.
their graduates hampered by physical defects
which might have been removed.
Wisconsin surely is practicing true
patriotism, for what better way is there
than to make physically strong citizens?