Medyczne aspekty noszenia gorsetu w świetle badań historycznych i współczesnych
Medical aspects of wearing a corset in the light of historical and modern research

Author(s): Izabela Andrzejewska
Subject(s): Modern Age, 16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, Pre-WW I & WW I (1900 -1919), Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: corset; women's health; tightlacing corset; fashion; medicine
Summary/Abstract: The corset, popular from the 16th to the 20th century, was repeatedly accused of deteriorating women’s health. One of the main concerns among the public and in literature of that time was tightlacing (reducing one’s waist by more than 10 cm), which was believed to cause cancer, consumptions, scoliosis and many other, sometimes deathly, diseases. In order to find if the historical allegations are true, this paper compares the works of 17th to 20th century doctors and publicists, with medical examination of 21st century doctors. The progress of modern medicine excludes most of quoted conditions and clarifies when corsets were safe and when, improperly used, they were dangerous.

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