Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1896-11-26
AN ESSAY ON CORNS.
IT CONTAINS THE EXPERIENCE OF AN
iNoUlRINe SUFFERER.

else an Important Influence.
"What makes corns?"
eff people would not walk, they would
not have corns, "replied the chiropcdist
emphatically.
The reply was satisfactory as far as it
went hut it didn't go far enough, and
therefore the sufferer, not being able to
rid himself Of the pain by riding al
ways, walked and pondered.
He began to notice, when he walked
i'll one direction ON one side of street,
that one foot was affected and when
he walked in the opposite direction that
the other foot was affected. The distress
was in the foot that was toward the curb.
He could not walk ahead awhile and
then walk backward to relieve the pain,
because he thought that he might be
looked upon as a crank and that such
behavior in a public street would be alb
surd anyway. Then he examined his
shoes and observed that the most Of the
wear was on the outer edges Of the soles
and heels and that the upper leather
had begun to bulge slightly over the
worn parts Of the soles. When he put
his shoes on again, he observed that the
leather where it bulged pressed on the
painful area Of each little toe.
With the results Of the observations
in mind, the sufferer proceeded, step By
step, somewhat painfully at times, 10
ascertain the cause of the effect ON his
shoes. He would not acknowledge that
he might be bowlegged and unable to
wear evenly the soles Of his Shoes and
nobody who met him could observe any
unusual DETECTION from the ordinary
lines of legs He trod carefully, and,
without making himself conspicuous
tried to walk on level, so that the
pressure would be equal on the whole
surface 'Uf each sole His toeing was
moderate-neither too much outward
nor too much inward-and at times he
succeeded in walking as his mind di-
rected, but usually the distress that he
WINGED from indicated that something
was wrong somewhere. The foot ON the
curb side Of the walk was generally dis
tressed more than the other. The fit OF
his shoes was fair, and for awhile the
suffering investigator could not deter
mine the reasons for the tendency to
bulge ON the sides. He dehod anyone to
prove that the bottled waters that he
drank could have an effect ON his sys-
tenn that would tend to make him edge
toward the gutter. Such an idea ought
not to be thought Of.
Going somewhat deeper into tho sub
ject, beneath the shoes ard the painful
areas, the investigator gave some iatten
tion to the surfaces ON which he walked
and slowed away in his memory this
characteristics Of localities in which he
believed he had experiences that were
painful, more painful, and NEST pain
full or almost painless. he noticed, for
instance, when he walked across an as
phalt pavement from one sidewalk to
another in certain localities, that his
tread was even and that he had little
pain. The experience suggested that he
could generally have relief by walking
on asphalt pavement, but he remember
ed tho arrest of an eccentric pedestrian
who insisted on having the privilege of
walking in the middle of the street and
decided that he would not risk himself
in that direction, Notwithstanding the
relief that might be obtained. He no.
tioed also that the distress was less in
some localities than in others and that
all sidewalks were not alike. He tried to
Confno his walks to the localities in
which he felt the least distress, but he
had to go such roundabout way to ar
rive at any particular place, especially
his place Of business that the plan had
to be abandoned. Besides, he never trod
perfect route-aroute that throughout
its length had surface that could be
paced without pain. At one point or an
other the patient investigator felt
twinges that were almost unbearable.
Lining up the subject on the best
route he could find, he devoted his at
tention to the spot or block where he
had the most severe twinges. That sent
him to the sidewalk, describing the ao-
ton fguratively. He did not drop on
his knees, although he had the impulse
TO do that and to howl also, but he
stopped at the curb and thought awhile.
He inferred that his sufferings we're
greater in that particular block because
some popularity or influence presented
itself there. At first the tentaoles Of
thought grasped nothing definitely, but
as the pain departed from the affected
foot, the powers Of vision took hold and
the result was q revelation.
As in many great discoveries and rev.
Citations, the cause Of the effect was very
simple-the sidewalk had been graded |
from the house line to the curb for good !
drainage, and as the incline was q few
degrees more there than in many places
10 was natural that any one walking !
there should tend slightly toward the
curb The friction Of the soles Of the
shoes on the sidewalk being greater
than the friction Of the feet on the in
ner soles Of the shoes, the weight Of the |
body caused the feet to slide sidewise
in the shoes. The effects ON the feet !
were different, and the painful effect in |
one foot and then the other depended
on the direction in which the sufferer /
walked. When the right foot was |
toward the curb, its small toe was
pressed against the leather and tortured, |