Greetings all...fun discussion! Let's bust some myths or substantiate them as fact! I have a vague memory that Ben Franklin, in his copious writings, may have advocated sleeping in a more upright position. But I'm not a Franklin scholar and have not the resources in hand to find any quotes. Anyone out there that can help? Ever curious, I remain, YHS, VivianLea Stevens Lori Allen wrote: > 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). > > > -- VivianLea Stevens Regional Sales Manager Re:discovery Software, Inc. 3040 Berkmar Drive, Suite B1 Charlottesville, VA 22901 434-975-3256, x 12 434-975-3935 (FAX) [log in to unmask] www.rediscov.com ========================================================= 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).