Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1871-11-11
Heels.

LUZ iooS II al iUIpoCtanG part Vi tHe hu'
man anatomy. Any one who doubts this
will be readily convinced by amputation, or
by gout or paralysis, or by a sprain. One
who does not appreciate the physiological
value Of his feet may be brought to COM
plcte knowledge Of his error by the fracture
oe any Of the smallest bones on which the
"brittle strength" Of his foot is founded.
The belle of the ballroom goes through
myriads of graceful motions, and when she
translates the swelling music of the band
into rythmic action her "fying feet" per-
form an in6nity of complicated curves.
After her genial aud animated exertion is
over, and the waste of strength has been re.
paired by long repose, she may turn from
her peaceful dreams, and, remembering the
pleasures of the mazy dance, desire to know
something Of the structure Of the feet that
carried her through the pleasant aud varied
gyrations and evolutions. She will find
that the very useful lower extremity is CON-
posed of large number Of bones, some
forming the heel, some receiving the weight
of the body, some diffusing that weiget over
the foot, some extending out to meet the
joints of the toes, some solid and massive
like anvils or wedges, some concave on one
side and ribbed on the other, some fiat and
horizontal, some thin vertical, all fitted to.
gether by wonderful mechanism, with heads
and grooves, sockets and ridges, with hol-
lows for the attachment and spaces for the
working of the muscles and tendons. Look
ing further, she will find all these twenty.
seven ioot-bones clasped and covered around
with multitude ofmuscles, sincws tendons,
every joint having one or more. Every
possible motion which she can make with
her foot she can trace to these muscles.
She cannot extend or contract toe, or turn
her foot from side to side, or rest her weigh;
upon the ball of the foot, or use her feet in
any manner, without employing several
muscles. She will find a branching muscle
to extend the four smaller toes, another to
bend the great toe and ankle, another to
bend the foot, fourth to extend the foot
and turn it outward, fifth to draw up the
outer edge of the foot, sixth to draw up
the heel. Besides the outer layer of mus
cles which act first beneath the skin, she
will find more numerous inner layer with
many attachments, all giving the power to
cause various motions and complications of
motions. She will see that every bone,
sincw, muscle and tendon is adapted to
some use, and is protected by integumcnts,
each according to its value.
Considering attcntively the use Of the
various parts of the foot, she will see how
incomparably more graceful the motion Of
walking is than it could be if the leg were
terminated with solid hoof or an inhcxi-
bic solid metallic buskin. She observes
how, in walking, at each step the broad,
elastic, cushioned heel receives the weight
of the body-not abruptly, as if tho heel
bone were straight continuation of the
bone of the leg, which would give the jar
of wooden leg but by mechanism that
lets the weight down without conclusion,
aud transfers it in part to the broad solo Of
tho anterior part of the foot. She will oh.
serve as the body leans forward, how the
sole and toes must receive the weight until
tho limb swings forward for another step.
She will sec how external pressure of these
muscles must retard and impede their
action, making the motion painful or awk-
ward. She will no longer wonder at the
crippling effect of shoes, tightly laced over
the annular ligaments, beneath which runs
such delicate and complicated system of
muscles running down from the leg, and
attaching to all the joints Of the foot. In
short. she will be ready to agree that the
whole structure is a piece Of wonderful
mechanism and contrivance scarcely infe
rior to that Of the hand; and so, while her
conscious reason is predominant she will
believe and declare that all these natural
provisions aud adaptions should be seconded
by art, and in no manner impeded.
But the casing which false art and ca
PRECIOUS fashion prescribe for this delicate
structure is in complete violation Of all
these ideas. In the natural foot the play
of all the muscles aud tendons is free, aud
the blood circulates freely in every part.
The artificial shoe cramps every muscle
and impedes the entire circulation. The
natural foot expands beneath the pressure
of the body; the shoe pinches it into a
shapeless clump or mass. The natural foot
hangs and swing as gracefully and as freely
as the hand; but the fashionable shoe holds
it at stiff right angle, forbidding ease,
strength, fexibility or comfort. The natu'
raj foot has its heel, equalling in diameter
the thickness Of the ankle, on level with
the ball of the foot, and separated from it
by the natural bridge Of beauty: The arti-
fetal heel is narrow plug, two inches long,
inserted under tho hollow Of the foot, pitch.
ing the toes forward into their
narrow encasement, forbidding safety OF
posture or grace of action, dangerous on all
staircases or rough pavemcnts, and wholly
inconsistent with anatomy. To the eye OF
the naturalist the heel Of the period is per-
nicious and absurd If all mankind were
doomed to wear such heels, the human race
would degenerate into imbecility, and sink
to worse than barbarian level Ii the
feet of the Romans had all been so cramped,
distorted and compressed, Carriage, Spain,