River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-01-30
THE FOOT'S ANATOMY.
why 1t Should BE Considered I'm the Sc
lection of shoes,


A skillful anatomist says that if we
wore shoes day and night our feet
would become permanently and hope
lessly diseased, but the airing and
change they get while we sleep keep
them in tolerable condition.
''The human foot is merely a hand
modified for base of structure to sup
port the body" 1t is lo' ser and thicker
and narrower than the hand. Its solid
parts are firmer that the corresponding
parts of the hand; the movable parts
less movable than those of the hand.
The foot has two arches; one from
front to rear composed of eight bones,
and another from side to side
composed of four. These arches, on ac-
count of the cartilages interposed
between the segments that compose
them, are flexible and give elasticity to
the step and gracefulness to the gait.
The largest bone in the long arch of
the foot is the heel bone, and to this is
attached the largest tendon in the body.
In this tendon the three muscles which
compose the calf of the leg and which
are of the greatest value to us in the
act of walking unite.
The more nearly the shoe approaches
the form of the foot the easier it will be
to walk in. High heels are nothing but
an injury, not to the foot alone, but TO
the whole body. They fiex the three
muscles in the calf of the leg that give
erectness OF the body, throw the weight
of the body on to the ball of the foot
throw the knees forward, and put the
whole mechanism out of poise. This is
well understood by lovers of field sports
and athletics, whose shoes have hardly
any heels at all.
The earliest form of foot cover was
the simple sandal, secured to the foot by
thongs, and often by button, coming
between the first and second toes. The
material used for shoes and sandals is
various. chiefly the skins of animals.
Wooden shoes are much worn in Europe,
and are becoming common in this coun-
try. The Japanese wear sandals of
straw. and South Americans, in some
localities, sandals of plated hemp. The
early Greeks went barefoot, or wore SIM
pie sandals: the Romans wore buskins,
similar to the moccasins of the American
Indians.
The skillful shoemaker or shoe-fitter
should understand the anatomy of the
foot as well as the art of making shoes,
and he should be able to fit each shoe to
the foot that is to wear it, but probably
not one shoemaker in million ever dis
sected a human foot with a view to
learning how shoes should be made.
We never think of working with our
hands when they are gloved, and all we
ask of glove is that it neatly fit the
hand when at rest. But we never think
of walking any distance in unshod feet,
and what we want of shoes is not cover
ing only, but aid in locomotion. Many
a shoe is comfortable enough when one
is sitting still that becomes excruciating
when one walks in 1t. Room is not given
for the play of the various muscles of
the foot, the arches are pressed out of
shape, the circulation is Instructed, and
the exercise of Walking, which should
be delightful. becomes intolerable, and
the gait which should be graceful and
easy becomes limping and awkward.
Judging from the number of mis-
shaped feet one sees when travelling on
the horse-cars and crossing the ferries,
where the feet of wayfarers are exposed
to view there is great deal Of suffering
that is not much talked about, and is
probably considered incurable. But it
might all or nearly all have been pre-
vented but for ill-fitting shoes. And
great deal of this suffering might be es-
capped if misshapen feet were provided
with shoes fitted to them and conformed
to their present necessities = n. Y. Ad-
vocate.