A fainting room was a private room, common in the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
, which typically contained
fainting couches. Such couches or sofas typically had an arm on one side only to permit easy access to a reclining position, similar to its cousin the
chaise longue, although the sofa style most typically featured a back at one end (usually the side with the arm) so that the resulting position was not purely
supine
In grammar, a supine is a form of verbal noun used in some languages. The term is most often used for Latin, where it is one of the four principal parts of a verb. The word refers to a position of lying on one's back (as opposed to ' prone', l ...
.
There are also accounts that mention fainting rooms in eighteenth-century America.
These rooms, which were also referred to as bedrooms (bedrooms were called chambers), were located in the ground floor and contained a
daybed that allowed occupants to rest for brief periods during the day.
Theories for prevalence
One theory for the predominance of fainting couches is that women were actually fainting because their
corsets were laced too tightly, thus restricting blood flow. By preventing movement of the ribs, corsets restricted airflow to the lungs and, as a result, if the wearer exerted themselves to the point of needing large quantities of oxygen and was unable to fully inflate the lungs, this could lead to fainting.
Hyperventilation
Hyperventilation is irregular breathing that occurs when the rate or tidal volume of breathing eliminates more carbon dioxide than the body can produce. This leads to hypocapnia, a reduced concentration of carbon dioxide dissolved in the blo ...
for any reason could also potentially result in brief loss of consciousness.
One book associates Victorian fainting rooms with a claim that they are meant to force women to remain indoors and inactive under the guise of ensuring privacy and class, and are yet another example of how woman were seen as
inferior, at the time.
See also
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Corset controversy
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Social aspects of clothing
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fainting Room
Victorian era
Rooms