The Morning herald., 1876-06-13
Diseases of tho Feet and their Treatment.
The skillful treatment of diseases where

ever found, is an important and necessary
object. The feet need their ills removed as
well as the other parts of the human frame.
Prof. S. H, Lewis, the eminent chiropodist,
from London, England, devotes exclusive
attention to all diseases of the feet, he hav-
ing had over fourteen years actual practice
in England, France and the United States,
together with the discovery of new chemi-
cal appliance, He guarantees to remove
|corns, bunions, inverted nails, etc., with
out pain or drawing blood, so that the boot
or shoe can be Immediately worn with ease
and comfort.
The chiropodist's treatment embraces the
treatment of corns, warts, bunions, inverted
nails, club nails, broken nails, tumors,
water scalds. A corn is an accumulation of
excrescent skin, hardened by pressure or
friction. A soft corn is only different be-
cause it is protected between the toes and
extends into the flesh. II is erroneous to
suppose that tight boots or shoes are the
sole cause OF cOrlA. Farmers are very gen.
orally afflicted, not from the pinching of
their boots, which are large, but from fric-
tion. The seems in stockings aid tight
shoe in producing corns. There is no root
TO corn, as is generally supposed. When
one is taken out h:re is such an appear
ance, but that is only the indentation of the
dead skin into the flesh. The lance and
other Instruments are used to remove these
membranes. Caustic is seldom resOrted
to, and oint ment is merely applied to heal
the tender flesh.
The instruments used are very similar to,
but not identical with those of the dental
profession. There are straight and curved
lancets, curiously shaped SCISSORS and pliers
OF various sizes, some keen-edged, others
blunt, but all of fine temper and nice
smooth finish.
A skillful chiropodist never cuts the flesh
while extracting the corn. The lancst used
to separate the edges of the hard matter
then the prier is inserted gradually under
meath, until the incumbrance is loosened and
falls of of ITSELF A curious fact is related
of the Maine wood-ehoppers, who in the
Winter months while telling trees avoid
snow and ice, cannot wear close-ftting
boots, but very large sizes, that allow their
feet TO slip to and fro, thus causing friction
and warmth. But from this they have their
feet incrusled with eorhs. In ihe Spring
when they raft down their logs they do not
change their clothing or boots for weeks,
until their arrival at the saw mills. All the
ter, and when the boots are removed the
corns fall off like nntsheels from the kernel.
Soft corns are not cut or pried upon, but
dried up by powerful absorbent. A bun
Mon is an accumulation Of surplus skin
where the weight of the body or boot press
es. These are removed like corns.
Inverted nails are the most painful of the
nli >In1n from
them. The majority are ladies, to whose
vanity in wearing short-tocd and high-heel-
cd shoes may be attributed much of their
slliiction. Faulty pairing of the nails also
may be mentioned. Generally these are cut
thin, whereas they should be cut square,
with little margin, and not pared at all.
When the nail turns and grows into the
flesh, excruciating agony often is the result.
A club nail is thick accumulation, generally
resulting from an inverted nail, and becomes
harder than bone and almost like flint.
One specimen on exhibition in Broad
way office is nearly two inches thick, colored
like u measchaum with various s'hues, and ex-
tended from the great to the third toe. Fun
gus, or proud flesh, was under it. This was
entirely removed within q short time, with
SCdICCly dHy pdiu) dhu WluHOIib tut lOSb vi
drop of blood. Broken, inverted, and
club nails are removed very quickly by a
good operator. The lance is inserted and
gently worked between the nail and the
quick. Thus the nail is separated and ia
ken off. The tenderness of the quick is at
once healed by ointment. The old fashioned
way of violently tearing out the nail with
lorceps caused a horrid sensation, and is
now only in vogue among barbarous bung-
lers.
When people will give that attention the
diseases of the feet, as the matter demands.
nay moiety of it, as they do to the hair,
teeth and toilet, the value of the art of
cniropodists will be regarded as important
as any of its kindred; if people will but
adopt the habit of having their feet systc-
matically treated, three -fourths of the CON-
mon infrmities of life would be avoided,
and the other fourth almost entirely.