Foot

“ It is his foot which does every thing. It is in the foot that we must seek and find the stamp of man’s original dignity. In the foot? Yes, Sir, in the foot. Look at the footman, who smiles at your surprise—is it not the foot which supports the head? Does not the foot express anger and indignation? In Spain, all matters of love and gallantry begin with the foot. The foot, in China, plays the first part. ”

“ This last point sounds almost absurd, but those who know will any day back the woman with dainty ankles, pretty feet, the glimpse of white lace and a plain face, against the really beautiful countenance up above the shapeless ankle-calf combine, and the foot that in two days gives a shoe the shape of the bows of a dinghey. ”

“ The foot has in its structure all the fine appliances you see in a building. In the first place, there is an arch, in whatever way you regard the foot; looking down upon it, we perceive several bones coming round the astralagos, and forming an entire circle of surfaces in the contact. If we look at the profile of the foot, an arch is still manifest, of which the posterior part is formed by the heel, and the anterior by the ball of the great toe ”

“ At this helpless period of life the delicately feeble, outspreading toes, are wedged into a narrow-toed stocking, often so short as to double in the toes, diminishing the length of the rapidly-growing foot! ”

“ The heel strikes the ground with great force, as the wear of our boots and shoes in that part shows us. But the projecting heel of the human foot is the arm of a lever, haying the ankle-joint as its fulcrum, and, as it strikes the ground, brings the sole of the foot down flat upon it, as shown in figure 1. At the same time the weight of the limb and body is thrown upon the foot, by the joint effect of muscular action and acquired velocity, and the other foot is now ready to rise from the ground and repeat the process we have traced in its fellow. ”

“ We have heretofore endeavoured to show what is the true, normal shape of the healthy foot, as recognized by science, art, and common sense; that in it the toes lie directly forward of the metatarsal bones, in the same line, having plenty of room for all of them to come to the ground, or the surface on which they tread; that there is no occasion for grown-in-nails, big joints, or corns until after the adoption of false habits in the manner of the foot’s clothing ”

“ 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. ”

“ The more the wood is taken off here, the more the foot will be thrown toward the outside of the shoe, or made to tread outside, and this will somewhat counterbalance the tendency which the toe has, when the end of it is made stationary, to push the joint and whole foot toward the inside. ”

“ Now compare with this any natural foot habituated to shoes or boots. The bunch of three toes is pressed back, and also sideways against the great toe, thus losing the division between them and the great toe, and destroying{301} the true contour of the foot. The pads of all the toes are pressed sideways instead of being immediately under the nails, and the foot has entirely lost its original character, and has become grotesquely malformed by corns, bunions, and similar growths. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Where the leg, for instance, has been lost, they feel as if the foot was present, but as though the leg were shortened. If the thigh has been taken off, there seems to them to be a foot at the knee; if the arm, a hand seems to be at the elbow, or attached to the stump itself. ”

“ The foot is so contrived that it is at once firm, elastic, and moveable,—qualities which enable it to sustain pressure from above, and exert pressure from beneath. In walking, the heel first reaches and first leaves the ground. ”

“ 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. ”

“ If shoes were made fan-shaped, like the imprint of a bare-foot in the sand, instead of having the greatest width across the ball of the foot, they might look strange at first, but they would be comfortable for all time. Those then who care more for comfort than for style, as most of us falsely profess to do, would have both cornless and comely feet. ”

“ In all, the fore limbs are terminated by hands, provided with longer or shorter thumbs; while the great toe of the foot, always smaller than in Man, is far more moveable than in him and can be opposed, like a thumb, to the rest of the foot. ”

“ 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 foot suggests a human hand, the toes taking the [199] places of thumb and fingers. Rub the toes into the foot and spread out the extended, flattened part of the leg, making it appear web-like between the toes (Fig. 349) . The foot of the real animal has nails or claws on three of the toes (Fig. 350) , but you need not attempt this detail. If the foot is correct in form and proportion you have made it well. Fig. 350 is given merely to show how the natural foot looks.
Fig. 347.—Ready to begin the foot.
Fig. 348.—Modelling the foot.
Fig. 349.—Fore-foot and leg of alligator. ”

“ In a few other families of this order, as the todies, the kingfishers, &c., the foot is called upon to assist in feeding, and we consequently find certain modifications of structure indicative of this office. In order to strengthen the foot and to secure a firmer grasp, the external and middle toes are united almost to the apex, and the strength of the hind toe is considerably increased. ”

“ The exercise of the muscles of the foot has the effect of increasing the power of those of the calf of the leg; and the thinner the sole, and the more pliant the materials of which the shoe is made, the more the power is developed. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The Configuration of the Foot.—No study of the correct attitude of the body at rest or in motion would be complete without some knowledge of the structural arrangement of the foot. The feet form the base of support for the entire body, and at every step are subjected to a pressure of from one hundred to two hundred pounds. ”

“ You must perceive, then, that the foot has all those qualities which prove a man to be a thinking being, or, in other words, the foot is the seat of the soul. If you would know, therefore, whether a woman is tender or faithless, if a man has the understanding of Montesquieu, or the folly of ———, instead of looking at his skull, you must see his foot. Yes, good Dr. Gall; you shall see my head, and I will examine your feet.”—So much for the System of craniology. ”

“ The foot proper extends as high as the apparent knee. This is in reality the wrist or ankle, and the apparent foot is but a finger or toe corresponding to the middle finger and middle toe of the hand and foot of man. ”

“ These have become accustomed to an upright gait in their climbing; hence the feet are used for supporting the body and the hands for grasping. Both [92] thumb and great toe are opposable; but the foot is a true foot, and the hand a true hand, in anatomical structure. The face, hands, and feet have mainly lost the covering of hair. ”

“ Keep your eye on the foot till the foot can take care of itself. Regard it as a servant that you must first watch carefully till the correct work shall have become half-automatic;{16} then only an occasional glance of supervision will be required. Add to this lunge the extended lunge of the left wrist, elbow, and shoulder straight along a line parallel to and slightly to the right of the left foot. ”

“ Movements of the foot must be employed, such as inward and outward flexion, twisting the whole leg from the hip, and many others, calculated to strengthen the left leg, hip, and ankle.”
[7] As a matter not wholly out of place, it may be said that the graceful walker stands upright, and in taking a step uses the muscles and joints of the hip, the knee, and the toes. Many people use the toes but very little, and their step lacks spring, elasticity, life, and grace; while others do not use the muscles in front of the hip enough, and their walk has no dignity. ”

“ The foot is set more obliquely on the leg and the big-toe is farther from the rest, proportionally shorter and weaker, and, above all, more flexible. Certainly these important differences are connected with its mode of life, which is more arboreal than that of man. ”

“ The four smaller toes are bent under the foot, and the instep is forced upward and backward. The foot therefore assumes the shape of an acute triangle, the big toe forming the acute angle and the other toes, being bent under the foot, becoming almost lost or absorbed. ”

“ A person who can support the weight of the body on the tips of the great toes, either naturally or by cultivation, must possess not only strong muscles in the toes themselves, but a strong arch, and strong foot throughout. ”

“ The four toes are doubled under the foot, and the large toe folded on the top. When bound together a sort of club-foot or hoof results, but the women manage to walk in spite of their deformity. To a western eye, the movement resembles a waddle rather than a walk. ”

“ We come now to another class of difficulties to which the foot is subject, though they affect the outside mainly, not its structure, and which appropriately call for a notice here, and for some hints concerning their nature and treatment. ”

“ Local applications of starch-powder and the juice of lemon may be used to advantage.
THE FEET.
A well formed foot is broad at the sole, the toes well spread, each separate toe perfect and rounded in form. The nails are regular and perfect in shape as those of the fingers. The second toe projects a little beyond the others, and the first, or big toe, stands slightly apart from the rest and is slightly lifted. The feet, from the circumstance of their being so much confined by boots and shoes, require more care in washing than the rest of the body. Yet they do not always get this care. ”