Corns.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVI, Issue VII, 16 February 1901, Page 326

Corns.

A corn is an overgrowth of the homy layer of some portion of the skin of the foot, induced by friction or undue pressure in one spot by the shoe. It is situated generally on a prominent portion of one of the toes, more commonly the little toe, but may be on the sole of the foot or even on the ankle-bone. It begins by an increase in size of the papillae in the deeper part of the skin, and this induces an increase in the production of the scarf-skin, or horny layer. The scarf-skin soon becomes inordinately thick, and, the pressure from the shoe continuing, is pushed back against the enlarged papillae, causing their final atrophy. This formation of a corn affords a curious illustration of the defeat of nature’s well meant efforts to prevent trouble; for the increased thickness of the horny layer is intended to afford protection to the enlarged and tender papillae, a purpose which would be well accomplished did the process stop there. But the friction by the shoe keeps up the irritation, and more and more of the horny covering is manufactured, until, instead of affording protection, it is actually the cause of all the pain. After a time the spot where the corn is seems to acquire a bad habit, and the formation of the corn will

go on even after the offending shoe has been discarded. The first thing to do for a corn is to get new shoes that are so snug as not to rub the foot anywhere, and so loose as not to make pressure in one spot more than in another. The top of the eorn may be pared with a sharp knife, extreme care being taken—especially in the case of the aged l —not to cut the sound skin; or it may be filed down to the level of the surrounding skin; or the entire corn may sometimes be loosened with a dull knife-blade or by the finger nail, and extracted from its bed. When this cannot be done, removal may be facilitated by moistening the corn every other day with glacial acetic acid, the softened part being subsequently scraped away with a dull knife or a small file. A salve containing salicylic acid, applied every night, will also frequently loosen the corn so that it can be pulled out. This is the basis of many of the popular corn plasters. A soft corn, which is merely a corn that is always moist on account of its location on the inner surface of one of the toes, should be treated by keeping a piece of absorbent cotton between the toes so as to prevent maceration, and by bathing it frequently with sitrong alum water.