MEDICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12955, 26 August 1905, Page 6 (Supplement)

MEDICAL NOTES.

CARE OF THE FEET. MUCH attention lias recently been, directed by the manufacturers of shoes to the. natural shape of the foot before it has become deformed, as it may be observed in infants, for example; so that nearly everyone may be supposed to have become acquainted with the fact that the inner side of the foot, including the great toe, should exhibit a nearly straight line, while the outer edge should follow a strongly marked curve. Even the best makers of shoes do not make all their shoes on this plan. The dictates of fashion are more powerful than those of comfort; and besides, shoes in most cases must be provided for feet already deformed. Hence in an article on the feet which would be. of practical use. it is necessary to state that if docs not suffice to apply to the shoe dealer for a shoe of the, natural shape of the foot, with the belief that one must necessarily be gelling what is asked for; nor is it altogether safe even to trust toe eye when the shoe is actually fitted' bcToro" one. The, plan most likely to result in the selection of a naturalshaped shoe, is to pencil the outline of the child's bare foot as it is held on a sheet of paper, to cut it out and use it as a model, to which a shoe-sole, when if is laid on it, is foil fid to conform. Every reasonable shoo dealer is sure to approve of such a method, and with the definite model at hand will seek to furnish what is called for. After a. short experience one will observe that the. personal study of foot-covering will yield valuable results in ensuring comfort and natural development of the growing foot. The power of the foot as a sustaincr of the weight of the body is readily understood. The heel, great the, and outer side of the foot form the three points of a tripod. Aii outward-crowded great foe. decreases the. utility of the foot to just ,such a degree as it is forced from its normal position.

Flat loot is frequently seen in children as a result of effort made to have them toe out gracefully. Toeing in is often due to the unconscious effort to lessen the strain on the arch of' the tool produced by badly formed shoes. Few children will toe in if they wear properly-shaped shoos. '.the exceptions are those with weak foot-arches, for whom the shoes should be 'made with soles thicket on 'the inner than on the outer edge. The weight is thus shifted to the outer edge of the foot and the strain on (lie arch of the foot relieved. This makes toeing nit an easy, if mil an altogether natural, procedure.