The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-12-17

SOME INTERESTING FATS ABOUT FEET AND
SHOES.


SHOES.
The Geneva correspondent OF the Lon
don Times writes: At the recent meeting
of the HYGIENE Congress here Colonel
Ziegler, who. in addition TO his strictly
military rank. is also chief surgeon OF the
Federal army, resd an interesting paper on
shoemaking, or, rather, on the evil effects
OF badly-made shoes, with special reference
TO hygiene and the marching powers Of
soldiers. Among other interesting facts
Colonel Ziegler mentioned that the Swiss
examining surgeons are compelled to re-
ject. every year, eight hundred recruits
the strength OF battalion-ior maliorma-
ton OF the feet resulting from badly-tltting
shoes.
The foot Is IN reality bow so elastic that
ut every step 1t contracts and expands,
lengthens aud shortens. and line drawn
through the centre OF the great toe inter-
sects the heel. But shoemakers, who are
generally utterly ignorant OF the satomy
OF the foot, did not give room enough for
the lateral extension OF the great toe. They
crib, cabin, and conflne it until it is forced
against the other toes. Hence arises fire.
quent inflammation OF the great toe, corns,
alterations, and sometimes yeritable articu-
lar Inflammation.
Another evil, which Colonel Zlegler as
cribcs In great measure 10 bad shooting, is
Indebtedness. whereby the arch is con-
verted into q straight line, and prolonged
walking and marching rendered impossi-
Bile. Another cause OF this effect Is the
habit OF carrying heavy weights 1t an early
age; but in most instances, Herr Ziegler
contends, perfect shoes would restore the
foot to IT. normal condition. The first OBJ
,tacle to reform in the shape OF shoes
| lies I'm the fact that ii would involve a great
expense in the shape OF new lasts. IN ex-
pense that sh0emakers are naturally 10th 10
| incur.
| Fashion has also its lasts, and shOemak-
els consider themselves bound TO conform
TO the prevailing mode. A test OF perfect
pair Of shoes Is that, when placed together,
| they would touch only at the toes and the
heels; the soles should follow the slnuosl-
| ties Of the feet, and, to give room for their
expansion, should exceed them In length
| by fifteen to twenty millimetres.
After Colonel Ziegler had read the paper,
| DR.. Roth, OF London, produced On Eng
| lish-mode shoe, which answered to the con-
| ditlons laid down by the Swiss surgeon,
and he contended that for the prevailing
defects In foot-gear the indifference OF
the medical faculty was quite as much
TO blame as the ignorance OF the shoe
making fraternity. DR.. JAEGER, the great
German authority on clothing and by
giene, called attention to the materials
OF which shoes are made. The leather
in ordinary use, he considers, has quite as
many sins to answer for as the shoes into
which 1t Is converted. Instead OF tanned
and blackened leather he would have wool,
felt, and, above all, deerskin. or all these
be showed specimens, "wbich appeared
rational" After discussion on the cause
OF fiat feet, DR.. Vallin, OF Paris, admitted
that In France shoes, for the most part, are
abominably bad. and the feet OF their wear
ers almost invariably deiorned. The shoes
worn by Parisians are, however. not quite
so contrary TO nature as those worn by Pari-
siennes, whose aim seemed TO be to make
their feet resemble in shape the hoofs Of
horses. In summing up, Or. Zeigler ex.
pressed his regret that fashion was allowed
to have so great an influence on the shoe.
ing Of human kind, and that In this. as
sometimes in other matters, husbands
should live under their wives slippers.