High Heels are Best, Says Prominent Surgeon

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6853, 7 March 1929, Page 4

High Heels are Best, Says Prominent Surgeon

GH heels are now so generally worn by women that it may be of interest to give a few facts about them and discuss their use, writes r* n Tto-Mtr

Mr. P. B. Roth, F.R.C.S., in “The Daily Mail.” Extravagant statements are made about their height, and the latter has been used by writers as a measure of morality. Thus Kipling says of a Mrs. Reiver that “she was bad from her hair ... to her boot-heels, which were two and three-eighth inches high” By such a standard there must be millions of bad women in the world. What constitutes a high heel? In the public mind there appears to be considerable doubt about'this. Only a short while ago in the High Court of Justice eminent counsel suggested to plaintiff in an action for damages that the accident might have been caused by her very high heels. Very indignantly she showed her shoe to the jury, with its moderate heel two inches high. Counsel remarked: “What may seem a low heel to you may seem a very high heel to me.” _ , .. This should not be a matter of opinion, but of measurement. There are accepted standards; the plaintiff’s heel was not a very high one, as any salesman could have testified. The ordinary walking shoe for a woman has a heel a little over two inches high (see diagram, fig. a). The ordinary evening shoe has a slightly higher than this. Such heels are spoken of as high to distinguish them from those of from 1 to li inches, which are spoken of as low, and from the broad heels of sports shoes, i to 2 inch, described as flat, How is a heel to be measured? The “trade” way is to measure it Vertically through its central part; but this is difficult to do accurately without practice, and it is easier to measure the vertical distance from the ground to the top of the heel where ft ’joins .the counter or back part of the shoe. The ordinary “high” heel measured in this way is 2 3-8 inches, but many heels are higher than this and are described as “'extra” and “ultra” high. An “extra” high heel is one that measures 21 to 3J inches high (see diagram, fig. b). This is the limit of height with which a woman can walk in comfort. When the heels are Higher than this, 32 to 4 inches or more, they are known as “ultra" high and render Walking difficult. What is a low heel for a large foot may, of course, be quite a high one for a small foot; the terms “high” and “low” may be only relative. Manufacturers have taken no notice of size of shoe in this connection, and in a particular model have made the heel for size 2 the same as for size 7. There are many reasons why high heels are worn. They are the fashion, they make the wearer taller, they are more comfortable, they make the foot look smaller, they are thought to make the foot look more elegant and to ■cause the wearer to walk more grace-

' Are high heels injuriousT An interesting pronouncement 'on this important subject will be found below.

fully. Sir W. Arbuthnot Lane has recently given another reason. He says they necessitate the feet occupying an attitude of activity as opposed to that of rest. And then they are considered to be wicked: see Kipling. They certainly make the wearer taller—-an important matter to many people. A very large majority of women find them more comfortable than low heels.

The high heel reduces the strain on the calf muscles by lessening the distance between their two attachments, and also relieves the arch of the foot of a considerable portion of the person’s weight; which portion is trans-

ferred to the front part of the foot, whence it is taken directly to the ground. One has only to look at the three shoes in the diagram to see how a high heel makes the foot look smaller; in all three the foot is actually the same length.

A high heel has, however, disadvantages.

In the first place, by throwing more weight on to the front part of the foot it increases the pressure on this part against the shoe. It is, therefore, more than ever important; that the fitting of the shoe be perfect; that the tread be the shape of the foot and wide enough to prevent cramping and distortion of the toes.

Secondly, it at first renders the wearer less steady in standing and walking. But this lack of steadiness is only a matter of practice. As the heel becomes higher, however, there is a tendency to make it narrow and pointed (see diagram). This does make the wearer unsteady and puts considerable strain on the muscles and ligaments of the foot and leg.

In choosing, walking shoes, therefore, the wearer should avoid those with tapering heels and choose those with a fairly broad base. Thirdly, if the heel be not correctly pitched—that is, fixed on to the shoe at the right angle so as to bring it well under the foot —it may increase the strain on the arch and help to produce flat-foot. A great many cheap shoes suffer from this defect.

Fourthly, a high heel gets rapidly worn down with use, generally on the outer side, and this tends to throw the whole shoe out of line, causing strain and fatigue to the limb which is trying to maintain its balance. From a purely surgical point of view a high heel does not cause the troubles attributed to it. A number of persons, men as well as women, who for one reason or another have one leg very much shortened, get about for years quite comfortably on a concealed heel of cork three or even four inches high. When the foot is examined with the shoe oil it is found to be perfectly normal in every, way.