CARE OF THE FEET

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1508, 24 January 1901, Page 65

CARE OF THE FEET

Too much care and attention cannot be given to the feet, and'this care and attention should commence in early childhood. Mathers should look closely after the feet of their children from infancy. Begin with the first shoes and See that the stockings are put on smoothly, that there are no wrinkles to rub the delicate skin ; wrinkles that may produce corns if not immediately and properly attended to. The stockings should be full long enough in the foot, so the toes will not be cramped , but have sufficient room to expand. The shoes must be from a half to an inch longer than the foot, but not -tooi wide; in fact, they should fit rather closely, so they will not move on the foot when the child walks. The shoes should be made of firm, fme'Tdd, or leather, and ,it is often advisable to have stiffenings in the heel to support the ankles. Buttoned boots are better than those laced on the; top of the foot, as the lacing is apt to get drawn too tightly and cut into the delicate flesh. Indeed', buttoned boots are much better for* all persons, better for their feet and better for their dispositions, for laced shoes are always more or less troublesome. If the feet arei properly cared for in infancy and youth, much pain and sufffring can doubtless be avoided. There are many people of mature years who are feeling the evil results of the early neglect of their feet; and who caii tell how much , torturing toes have tended to bhape their owners’ course adversely.' If the trouble is corns, treat them tenderly- Tie them up at night in sheep suet; in the morning put on a cqra plaster with a hole in the centre to prevent the shoe rubbing the com. This course, if persevered in, will ultimately eradicate the little tormentor. Corns are bad enough, but bunions are far worse; they make one feel desperate.

Look closely after the joints of your big toes, for there is where the bunions generally come. At the first symptoms of trouble commence treatment. The first thing to do, because the most important, is to keep the big toe on a line with the foot. It is well every night to work the joint of the bunion toes for several minutes, say ten, pulling the toe always on a line with the foot, pressing at the same time the joint inward. Another thing advisable to do is to put a small roll of cotton wool between the big toe and the next one; this will keep the big toe in place and prevent the joint from pressing outward. There are many to whom this advice majSfcSeem to come too late, but indeed it is never too late for it to bring more <£• less relief to the, sufferer. Persons afflicted' with, painful bunions may find their trouble mitigated by the application of the following lotion: Get one ounce of tincture of iodine and add to it one-fourth of an ounce of tincture of aconite, made from the root, not the leaves, as the latter is much weaker and also leaves a black stain. Put the liquid on with a camels hair

and tender feet, soak them now and then in alum water, as it has a hardening tendency. It is best to wash the feet in cold or tepid water, never in hot water, as that renders them more liable to become frost-bitten. Hot water is generally debilitating; in fact, to soak the feet in hot water will completely prostrate some persons. If while young you take g;ood care of your feet, you will reap your reward all through life. Many persons dwell on the beauty of small feet, appearing to ignore the fact that a foot out of proportion to the size of the body approaches very near a deformity. Always be particular to have your shoes at least a half inch longer than your foot, for there is nothing so injurious to the feet as short shoes, not even that abomination, high heels. We are very much inclined to condemn the Chinese method of abbreviating the feet, but, considering our boast of a high civilisation, are we doing any better?