Beauty Culture (Woodbury)/Chapter 6

Far more than any other part of the body the foot is affected by its covering. Every chiropodist should be an expert on shoes, knowing the subject from beginning to end. The footgear of the ancients shows a much clearer understanding of the rights of the foot as a member of the body than we somewhat self-appreciative moderns appear to possess from the kind of foot coverings we generally wear—to our constant discomfort and often to the serious impairment of our health.

It might almost be said that one good reason why Egypt flourished, and Rome stood so long, was because their inhabitants kept their feet so well; so uncramped; so able to support the rest of the frame in comfort, with ease and with power.

Study the illustration (Figure 29) of an Egyptian woman's foot, and note how the simple, light sandal affords ample protection to it against injury below and yet allows it free play above. Would anything in footwear have been more fit in a climate mostly warm and dry, like that of Egypt?

Mark the finely arched instep and the straightness of the toes. Such feet were almost as beautiful as hands, ​and merited all the care they received. They never had corns, and only by accident callosities.

Fig. 29.THE ANCIENT SANDAL

Illustration 30 gives a fairly good representation of the old Roman foot covering called the cothurnus, or buskin. This was laced not overtightly (for that might interfere with circulation) over only the root of the toes, permitting even more free play than did the sandals of those pedal digits.

Fig. 30.THE ROMAN BUSKIN

The Roman buskin had a sandal sole made to fit the foot, instead of the foot being forced to fit the sole. Compare, too, the evenness in length of those noble Roman toes, and their straightness, with the irregularity of the modern foot with its one bulgy lop-sided big toe and four curlycue runts beside it.

​On the ordinary Roman sandals, the thongs or strips of a thinner, more pliant leather, separated the toes and strapped the sandal to the foot, serving to keep the toes leaning on or overlapping each other. Feet, thus dressed, gave off their perspiration naturally, and did not hive it up to become offensive in odor and productive of softness of the skin and of ultimate disease.

It is pleasant to note that we are beginning now, in the raising of our children, to realize the value of sandals; and it is to be hoped that this fashion, which allows the feel to grow naturally and spread properly, will continue to spread until it reaches to adults.

For men and women who spend the summer in country places or at the seaside the wearing of sandals in summer and as late into the fall as comfortable would be extremely beneficial. All athletes, whether practicing in the gymnasium or engaged in exhibitions or playing any game, except football, would be immeasurably benefited by a return of the sandal of the ancients. To golfers particularly, with the undulant character of most golf-links, the sandal would be a boon.

The American Indian covered his feet entirely with soft leathern mittens called moccasins. It would be well if these replaced the modern "sneakers" whose soles, being made of rubber impervious to perspiration, render them pernicious to the health of the feet. Pliable leather is the best protective foot covering in a cold climate. The Esquimos make their boots of skins, lining them with fur and eiderdown, and for these Arctic explorers invariably cast aside the stiff boots of civilization.

Wood, instead of hard leather, is used to protect the soles in many countries.

From time immemorial the Chinese have worn shoes having wooden soles lined with soft material and cloth ​uppers in slipper fashion, which give the feet considerable freedom of movement, and consequent immunity from corns. (See Fig. 31.)

Fig. 31.THE CHINESE SHOE

But even in wise old China, Fashion, that teeming mother of many deformities as well as absurdities, has decreed that certain feet should be compressed to as great an extent as possible, limiting, however, this cruel and hideous folly to the girls of the aristocracy, who were regarded as toys, rather than creatures with souls demanding activity in service, and whose helplessness, therefore, was an ostentatious proof of the husband's ability to afford such a luxury.

The method of doing this, which is undertaken almost from birth, entails constant pain throughout girlhood. By the tight bandaging, the bones are displaced upward so as to render it short along the line of the sole and apparently small, though the actual size of the foot, thus distorted, remains about the same.

Carried to extreme extent, this practice renders the Chinese belle a cripple, able only to hobble ungracefully, and sometimes, when fatness arrives, necessitating her being lifted around by servants, a pitiable piece of feminine furniture, to whose helplessness the European or American woman but feebly approaches with her "French heels" and "hobble skirt."

​There is no evidence in their literature that the ancients experienced such afflictions as bunions or corns.

It was with the advent of the modern shoe that all forms of foot distortion and foot-disease appeared, and with its spread that these multiplied until a perfectly shaped and perfectly healthy foot is a greater rarity than anything to be found in an anatomical museum.

Even shoes of our grandfathers' days, being custom made, were not so likely to cause abnormalities of the feet, but the recent shoes, manufactured in fixed styles and built on lasts peculiar to each manufacturer, have cut a terribly wide swath of havoc, making the chiropodist or foot-doctor an increasing necessity in our scheme of civilization.

When this highly important specialist first made his appearance, not so very many years ago, he was looked at askance as a cheap faker who gave only temporary relief. Unfortunately, this was not only true in most cases, but still worse, his treatment often caused irreparable damage.

And to-day, there are still many deplorably ignorant persons presumptuously calling themselves pedicures, and practising chiropody under license from the various States. As Dr. Kahler, who had the honor of attending to the sore feet of Abraham Lincoln, with just indignation remarks, these quacks, "ignorant of anatomy and incapable of performing a delicate operation, possessing only a few salves and the knowledge of some powerful acids or astringents, and often doing more harm than good, have brought the profession of chiropody into contempt, and to them are applied such names as corn-doctor, etc."

Accordingly, every earnest and honest would-be chiropodist should first understand the Anatomy of the Foot, ​and, second, should study the make of shoes and be able to instruct patrons just what kind of shoe to wear; otherwise, only temporary relief, not cure, is the result, and the foot-doctor, instead of being a desirable citizen and an honor to any community, is a cheap charlatan whose practice is to keep persons continually coming to himself or to somebody else, as patients, instead of curing them and thus converting them into active advertisers of his probity and skill.

There are, however, reliable and conscientious chiropodists, and when one is found it is a good plan to visit him at least once in every six months and have the feet examined, just as it is a good plan to have one's teeth examined that often by a reliable dentist.

If one has very fine or tender feet a visit every three months, instead of semi-annually, would be advisable. Even for persons possessing comparatively healthy feet, to have them pedicured as often as they have their hands manicured would be well worth the expenditure of time and money.

The Right Kind of Shoe. It stands to reason that no two pairs of feet are exactly alike. Therefore, the shoes of modernity, manufactured by wholesale according to set forms, would inevitably cause mischief to some feet, even if the said shoes were built along the general natural lines dictated by the foot's architecture.

So, inasmuch as comparatively few can afford to have shoes made especially to fit their feet perfectly, there is all the more reason why shoe-manufacturers should endeavor to seek such guidance from a study of anatomy as would enable them to build shoes which would average a fair conformity with nature's clear intention, and so create the least amount of mischief possible.

​But, as pointed out more than fifty years ago by Dr. Hermann Meyer, the pioneer in the arduous field of reforming shoe-manufacturing methods, this is not done, as it ought to be, either universally or even locally to any extensive degree. Ignorance, intensified by fashion, has dominated, and in consequence the feet, the foundation of our physical superstructure, have suffered and will continue to suffer.

In the illustration (Fig. 32) of a perfectly normal child's foot, it will be noticed that a straight line drawn through the middle of the big toe emerges at the centre of the heel, and the same will be noticed in the illustration (Fig. 25), which is that of a healthy natural adult masculine foot. But in the feet of most adults, owing to the shoes they have been wearing, there is a marked deviation, the great toc having either sprawled outward or crawled inward onto other toes.

Fig. 32.NORMAL FOOT OF A CHILD

The chiropodist, therefore, after making a drawing of the patron's naked foot on paper, running the pencil lightly into the indentations indicated by the toes, should find whether the medial line of the great toe corresponds with that of the outer surface of the heel. (See Fig. 33.)

There is then before him the problem of coaxing the great toe into line again, if it has taken an abnormal position or has abnormally grown outward.

Fig. 33.THE MEDIAL LINE

ab=improper medial linecd=proper medial line

Where the curvature is inward, plugs of cork, preferably wrapped round with soft cloth, arc to be inserted; the size of the plug should be increased gradually, say, week by week, and the kind of shoe to be worn must be not only roomy at the toes, but should be considerably longer than the toes.

If, on the other hand, the toe has sprawled outward, a soft cotton bandage, holding it pretty tightly, should be worn and the shoe should be narrower across the toes (see Fig. 34), but, as before, a little longer, so that the toe may have opportunity to straighten forward. The stocking in this latter case should clasp the forepart of the foot somewhat more snugly than usual.

Fig. 34.SHOE TO CORRECT SPRAWLING GREAT TOE

This slight elongation of the shoe beyond the toes not only affords fair play to them, and helps their general ​health, but it adds grace to the looks of the feet, especially if they be naturally broad. A short, thick foot, as has been said before, can be made to look more graceful by the selection of a shoe somewhat longer than is needed for an exact fit.

Dr. Meyer did not succeed in getting the manufacturers of his time in Europe to adopt his ideas to any noticeable extent, but his treatise, translated by John Stirling Craig and published by R. T. Trall & Co. in 1863, stimulated study of the foot in this country and led some makers of shoes to try his methods. They appear to have been discouraged, because not enough persons among the general public had sufficient understanding to appreciate the reform and by their patronage make it pay.

Some of Meyer's ideas, however, had taken partial hold of the public, particularly his approval of the so-called congress shoe, in the matter of substituting elastic at the sides for lacing. But the popularity this kind

Fig. 35.SHOES IN THE MEYER STYLE

of shoe once had was very likely due to the case with which it could be put on and drawn off, rather than to the higher hygienic quality.

​Recently, however, there has been considerable attempt to restore the general shape of shoes approved by Dr. Meyer, a shoe that is comfortably broad and that appears to turn inward (see Fig. 35), but the value of this has been nullified in great measure by making it too narrow at the side next the smaller toes. We are speaking now of men's shoes. Reform in the footgear of women is a more stupendous task.

Objection may be offered that the wearing of these shoes of uncurved shape might eventually lead men to turn in more in walking or become "pigeon toed" as it is called, in their locomotion. This, of course, could be guarded against by the wearer making during the first three weeks of wear a conscious effort to toe out a little more than he usually would.

On the other hand, a slight broadening of the leather under the arch of the foot would take away the look of extraordinary incurvation and would perhaps add not a little to case and grace in movement, and a slight extension of the toe part, as indicated in Fig. 34, would also add to its appearance. Where the instep is at once high and thick, such broadening would, of course, naturally suggest itself as fundamentally proper in the making of a shoe.

In advising a patron as to the kind of shoe to buy, the things to dwell upon with polite insistence are:

1. Sufficient width of sole.
2. Sufficient room for toes.
3. Sufficient lowness of heel.
4. Sufficient elasticity over instep.

And in case of soreness or crookedness of toes, as intimated previously, extra length in the toe part should be advised, until the condition has been permanently rectified. This does not exceed in any direction; it does ​not mean a shoe in which the foot slips about as in a slipper, except that in the point of length the shoe may extend considerably, which, while doing good to the toes, also adds to the shapeliness of a shoe's appearance.

The shoe should fit rather snugly to the foot. The foot should not be cramped, but firmly grasped by its leathern envelope. If the shoe is too large, the foot slides to and fro in it, which not only causes discomfort and tired feet, but induces corns and callosities, and even inflammations that require weeks to overcome.

It is equally true that a tight shoe, so generally worn, especially by women, is quite as harmful, if not more so, as a shoe that is too large for the foot. Tight shoes cause not only foot-ache, but lead to all kinds of troubles, such as corns and bunions, and also induce diseases of the blood vessels of the lower limbs, pain in the calves of the legs, headache and, in some extreme cases, trouble of the eyes.

Normal shoes, as before stated, should fit snugly, but should allow plenty of room for the toes. They should also give support to the arch of the foot by having a heel of medium height. High heels are injurious to the health of any wearer and a torture to many.

The weight of the body should be so distributed to the ball and heel of the foot that standing should he comfortable and walking a matter of easy grace, even under unusual strain, if such be not repeated too frequently.

The toe of the shoe should never be anything but of the shape of that part of the foot, slightly narrower than the bare or stockinged foot in standing. The shape of the shoe should conform to this and not be boxed or raised so that the cramped toes overlie one another.

A common-sense shoe can be made as beautiful as any ​other, and its comfort will conduce to health and prosperity, for it may be truly said that one who has chronic trouble with his feet is heavily handicapped in the race of life.

A short, thick foot can be made to look more graceful by the selection of a shoe somewhat longer than is needed for an exact fit.

Remember that only in extreme cases of deformity shoes need be fashioned to fit that deformity. In average cases the foot after treatment should be confined in a shoe made according to the natural method, but a shade larger than if the deformity were not present.

For displaced joints and bunions a shoe considerably larger than the foot should for obvious reasons be worn at first; but, as the displacement disappears or the bunions give signs of cure, the size of the shoe should be correspondingly lessened. There are cases where, on the road to recovery, the patron may properly be advised to change the shoes several times in this way.

The ideals to be sought in a shoe are three:

1. Comfort,
2. Beauty,
3. Durability.

Here every chiropodist is going to meet his chief obstacle, particularly in dealing with feminine patrons, and frequently with men.

Style, a word derived from the sharp-pointed instruments used by the Greeks and Romans as a pen, and from which the Italian word, stiletto, the weapon of assassins, is in turn derived, has indeed been for years a weapon wounding thousands and thousands of people.

All women really wish for beauty, but the obsession of the majority seems to be that one cannot have beauty unless one is in style.

​The truth is that any style, however fascinating, which in any way deforms the natural shape of any member of the body and thereby interferes with free play of functions, is contrary to the Law of Beauty, and should be religiously shunned by women for their own sake, and the sake of their children, or the children they may have if their womanhood arrives at full bloom and fruitage.

The wisest book in the world declares that the body is the temple of the living God. Now, the foundations of that temple are the feet. If these foundations are impaired, the whole temple may totter, and the light within the dome, the mind, he extinguished.

It was proved by the world-famed surgeon, Brown-Sequard, that the weight of the body, improperly thrown on one man's great toe, unbalanced his mind to a violent degree. To effect a cure a bisecting of the nerve was necessary.

The mysterious connection between the nerves of the feet, practically those of the great toe, and the brain, is now known, though not yet fully understood. But it might be hinted that one cause of many persons going astray mentally—and morally—lies in the ill-treatment of the feet from childhood up.

Mothers ought not to let their children begin to walk as early as they do; ought never to cramp the growing feet or stuff them into "stylish" shoes; ought to take their children early to a first-rate chiropodist and faithfully follow his advice.

In childhood the bones of the foot are soft and pliable. Machine-made shoes, bought for sake of economy, are an outrage on the helpless little one, and also entail extra expense in many ways as life goes on.

Every child is entitled to have a shoe in which the ​foot can grow naturally. Anything else is an abomination.

If this reform can be started and maintained, in one generation crooked toes, corns, inverted nails, swollen joints, and bunions will virtually have disappeared.

If your patron is a wife and a mother, talk to her earnestly about baby's feet. Every mother whose feet have been a torture to her in any way will appreciate this, and, even though she may wilfully continue to suffer herself, and for the sake of wearing "stylish" shoes refuse to be cured permanently by you, she will nevertheless in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred have loving sense enough to desire that her children be set right as to their feet and started well, to that extent, in the race of life.