So, now I am really, really curious..... I have visited historic homes all over the country and been told the beds were shorter because "they" slept propped up on pillows to avoid various lung ailments, vapors, whatever. If "they" didn't sleep propped up?, the WHY ARE the beds so short??? Average height for humans (in America) has increased just like lifespan, shoe size, etc., but not THAT much. Those beds were short, even for me and I am only 5'2". Somebody on this list just HAS to know this......(fingers crossed) Lori Allen Graduate Student, History and Museum Studies University of Missouri - St. Louis "Well behaved women rarely make history." - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Historian -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Carol Ely Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 1:26 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: AAM Poster session >Subject: Re: AAM Poster session >They were shorter back then. (in reference to the shorter length of bedsteads - no they weren't - they slept >sleeping up in order to prevent themselves from drowning in their humors [yellow bile, black bile, blood, and >phlegm]) Wait a minute. I think you've punctured one myth only to replace it with another one. No, "they" weren't "shorter" as a general rule, with exceptions for time, place, income level, nutritional level, and genetic endowment... BUT, "they" didn't sleep sitting up either - it was recommended once by Benjamin Rush, but I've never seen any evidence that this was a widely adopted practice. If anyone has any primary evidence that this is true as any kind of general practice, please share, but I'm not believing it until I see it. Carol Ely Museum Consultant, Louisville ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).