Pilates is an exercise program that coordinates mind and body to support each other on the path to overall fitness. It was developed in Germany in the late 1800's by Joseph H. Pilates, who was a frail and unhealthy child. Determined to overcome his physical weakness, he developed a specialized technique of muscle control and movement to increase circulation and cardiovascular strength and rid the body of toxins. Pilates taught this technique, now known as "matwork," to fellow inmates in a work camp to help stave off the influenza epidemic of 1918. They were the only group at the camp to survive intact. While serving as a hospital orderly during World War I, Pilates attached bedsprings to the headboards of the non-ambulatory patients and began exercising them using springs as a support system. Doctors noticed that these patients improved more quickly than other, and thus Joseph Pilates began the development of his program.