Foot (unit)

“ A person cannot walk easily and handsomely—much less run—in boots that are uncomfortable, or with corns and sore joints crying out at every step. High heels necessarily give an unnatural character to the step, because the heel of the foot does not come near the surface, as Nature intended. The weight of the body is thrown too much upon the forward part of the foot, which would seem likely to have some tendency toward breaking it down, while it prevents that very spring upon the ball and toes which is the most essential thing in graceful walking. ”

“ Neither ricketty legs nor yielding plantar-arches are strengthened by tightly laced boots, and although ignorant bootmakers will frequently recommend them, they must be strictly avoided, for what the muscles of the foot and leg want is freedom of action, not compression, which will impair their development.
That very rare thing a well-formed foot in middle life is nearly straight on the inside from the heel to the tip of the big toe; but in infancy the great toe stands out from the others, giving a wider spread to the toes, so that the inside of the foot is concave. ”

“ Then it is just such a shoe as would fit easily and comfortably a foot that treads outside; and for that very reason it is exactly such a one as ought to be worn by a foot that treads inwardly. All the force exerted by the stiffness of the counter, and the inclination of the whole shoe, goes toward righting up the foot and pushing it over outwardly. Still there is nothing that can hurt the foot—only a steady and gentle pressure in the right direction, which does not interfere with the use of the muscles. ”

“ The foot is naturally a beautiful organ; why should it not be allowed to retain its beauty? The foot is generally said to have three chief parts—the tarsus and metatarsus, which form the arch of the foot, and the toes. These parts are made up in all of twenty-eight bones, all of which are well supplied with muscles. The foot is therefore by nature a very mobile organ, and those who have been deprived of the use of their arms have found that with their feet they could perform those actions for which we employ our hands. ”

“ In walking behind a person we seldom see an equalised motion of the body; the tread is not so firm upon the left foot, the toe is not so much turned out, and a greater push is made with the right. From the peculiar form of woman, and from the elasticity of her step, resulting from the motion of the ankle rather than of the haunches, the defect of the left foot, when it exists, is more apparent in her gait. ”

“ It is also true that a slight hollow will exist under the ball of a well-arched foot, even when pressed upon by the weight of the body. This may be filled up if desired, for, being so small, it is a matter of indifference whether it is so or not, while there is perfect safety in letting it alone. ”

“ Any active boy of twelve could give him points and a beating in a race for life in the open. Further, his foot shows a much larger propor­tion of the whole foot in front of the end of the great toe than is ever seen in man. The ligaments which bind the joints of his foot together, while the muscles play upon them, are little different from those he will require for the girders of his arch, except for such a throwing out of slips, and shifting under the stresses and strains of such walking as his new gait involves. ”

“ As the foot spreads at every step, the arch naturally flattens in the middle, but this is prevented when the sole is built up under it. It is self-evident that the foot is designed to tread on a flat surface, as its most natural function. Any attempt to make it tread constantly on a convex one is manifestly wrong. ”

“ The smallness of the foot is produced by placing, during infancy, the foot in tight shoes or bandages, so that it has no room to grow, what can have been the origin of this strange custom it is not easy to conceive, but it has been supposed to be one originating [133] in a wish of the men, to keep the women from gadding abroad. ”

“ The heel, on the bottom, is quite convex, which allows the heel of the foot to settle down into that of the boot more than usual, and thus what appears to be a high heel, outside, feels, on the foot, to be no higher than one made upon ordinary lasts an eighth of an inch lower. There is hence so much less pressure upon the ends of the toes. ”

“ The adult foot, when properly formed, is straight from heel to toe on the inner side, and is wider across the joints than one inch or so farther back. The manner of walking has a considerable bearing on the character and development of the foot. ”

“ So leaving out of the question all lateral movements at the ankle-joint as difficult and complicated to estimate, we will briefly consider the question of the ordinary angle that the foot makes with the leg so far as it is less than a right angle, and whether the trained guide has any advantage over the amateur in this respect. ”

“ The foot then of the infant can be flexed until it is almost parallel with the [133] leg; during growth it loses flexibility as it gains in strength and becomes adapted for the erect position and for walking, which is the natural gait of man. The angle made by the foot with the leg in adults is fairly fixed, and a difference between guides and amateurs in this respect is not easy to discover. ”

“ The foot has now swung forward, and, tending to swing back again, the limb being straightened, and the body tipped forward, the heel strikes the ground. The angle which the sole of the foot forms with the ground increases with the length of the stride ”

“ The great toe is usually twisted towards the median line, and the joint consequently has an ugly knotted appearance: all five toes are crushed together, and lose their natural shape, while the last, and often the last but one, is altogether distorted and deformed. Nor is the mischief confined to the toes: the whole foot, so seldom exposed to the open air, has a dry, lean, ill-nourished look. ”

“ When the feet are left bare the complex muscular apparatus of the extremity, which in a stiff shoe scarcely works, is called into vigorous action, the arch of the foot plays with every step, and each toe performs its share in the act of progression. ”

“ It is our duty to adjust the foot covering to assist Nature in protecting the foot.
Commonly the fitting of shoes is influenced by a consideration of fashion and style and not comfort, with a resulting condition which most people cheerfully accept, thinking that by so doing their feet will appear small and neat but really causing a cramping and narrowing of the ball and toes, with possible chafing, blistering, callus or corns—conditions incompatible with walking efficiency. ”

“ But by far the greater number of boots bend in the waist only, the result is, that the centre of the foot, where nature intended that but little movement should take place, is the only part of the civilised foot which is free to bend. ”

“ In aid of this, the sole of the foot, and each of the toes, has a soft, elastic pad, or cushion under it, on which they walk, and as they never set the heel to the ground, their footsteps are noiseless, unless they choose them to be otherwise. ”

“ In the slightest degree of affection of the foot, the great toe is drawn a little away from the other toes; in severer degrees the toe is drawn away still further, and the whole foot is forcibly bent upon the ankle, and its sole directed a little inwards. ”

“ Some people have a strong, bony frame, with strong, firm muscles, prominent bones and muscles, and a flesh that is hard. The feet of this type of person are usually long, bony, and arched, with a well-developed big toe joint. The heel measurements are large in proportion. A soft foot is prevalent among the Scotch. The feet of a person who is delicately shaped, with a small frame and thin, small, tapering muscles, are usually thin and finely formed, giving evidence of quickness. This kind of a foot in a man has a tendency to develop a flat foot. ”

“ The shoe should be long enough to extend well forward of the toes—two-thirds of an inch longer than the longest measurement of the naked foot; the inner sole border should be straight, broad across the ball and for average work on the roads need not be heavy but above all things it should conform to the foot. Have the heel fit snugly but across the ball or front of the foot arch no compression at all.
The tendency is to overdo foot covering, getting the shoes too heavy. There is no need of lugging around extra weight. ”

“ It should be large enough to allow freedom to the toes, and not so large as to wrinkle on the foot. In a well-fitting stocking the foot can be more accurately measured than otherwise, and the comfort of the foot is sadly impeded by an ill-fitting one. ”

“ By educating ankle and foot to work alone we keep the hands in reserve for increasingly difficult passages. Often the ‘prop’ of a bent ankle above a side-foot hold gives us the second point of contact with the rock which is all that our balance requires. ”

“ The right kind of shoe for a wide foot is one so wide on the sole that the upper will project over it on the sides but slightly, and with as great a width of the toe, in proportion to the ball, as there would be in a narrow one. Such a shoe will make the foot appear narrower, by contrast, than it really is, and the greater the width of the toe, the more this effect is produced. Besides, the shoe or boot keeps its proper shape much better and longer when not too narrow or too short. ”