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Number seven billion people in the world. We all have one thing in common.

Every day, we all get dressed. Welcome to Dress the history of fashion, a podcast for re-explore

the who, what, when, of why we wear. We are fashion historians and your hosts, April Callahan

and Cassidy Zachary. So, dress listeners, before we continue our conversation with

corset-making experts Cynthia Suchy of Red Threaded Today, we wanted to bring you this fascinating

tidbit of medical wisdom regarding what the author has deemed an alarming evil. And guess what

that is? High-laced corsets. Yes, because in the medical journal Botanical Medical Recorder of

1840, one certain doctor called well, cautioned readers, quote,

I knew a young female of some distinction as respected both her mind and family in the city of

New York, who some years ago became known from tight corseting by the name of the lady, quote,

the lady with a small waist. She therefore increased the tightness of her corsets until she

became hump-shouldered and died of consumption. And he continues, quote, since the introduction of

corsets as an article address, diseases of the heart among females are much more frequent than

formally, and they have been traced to that cause in innumerable instances, in quote. He also

cites breast cancer as a side effect of corsetry, by the way. He continues, quote, from the

burgeoning view of their destructive effects on the female system, to say of corsets that they

threaten a degeneracy of the human race, the descendants of tight corseting mothers will never

become the luminaries and leaders of the world in quote. Tell us how you really feel, sir.

So, you know, not only is he charging the nefarious corset with causing any number of women's

health issues, he's also placing the fate of human existence upon the corset wearing of or not of,

you know, so who knew that corsets had such power? But Cass, I think that you and I already know that

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