The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-27
SAY SMALL TOE is DOOMED.
View Of Chirop.'dists IL That II Must
nlsappeer 20 ON Human Foot.

From the Chicago ReCord-Herald.
Now Il is asserted that the small
toe Of the human foot will he crowded
out OF existence by the end Of the pres
ent century Such IL the view OF CHI
ropodists generally aud OF physicians
who have given the matter more IMAM
passing consideration.
I. just az. according 10 Darwin. the
tail was crowded out Of the human
bony skeleton many aEeH back because
a had absolutely no useful function 10
perform. lust as the Vermiform appcn-
dix. the only apparent function or
which Is 10 necessitate dangerous and
extensive operations, VIII eventually
md no place In human anatomy So
according TO present Indications the III
tie toe must ultimately disappear at
together,
The conditions prevailing at the pres
ent day are such. indeed. that but
abort period Of evolution VIII te neces-
sary 10 bring about this radical change
IN the human system. The little Toe
ia a, It's best in childhood, but even
then Il Is seldom much more than an
apology FOR toe while II is faot
wen known TO physicians that AFTER
certain age has been reached IN nine
~ cases out Of a hundred the TWO end
Joints OF the toe become snchylosed-
that il To say. so united as to make
separate movement impossible,
Nor are these conditions brought
about entirely or even mainly through
modern methods of footwear, but arc
more directly the result Of the civilized
method OF locomotion.
whether or not the big toe Ia all that
r. needed walking and running II
ouesttou which has not vet been salts
factorily answered but tho fact re-
mains that athletic instructors aud
coatheR have universally strlNen 10
develop the big toe at the expense OF
tho others in the training OF fast run
ners and football players, and to that
end the shoes have been made 80 mar
row that any possibility OF using the
luule toe has been preoluded.
The modern method Of walking, how
over. Ia really responsible for the non
use Of the little toe The full weight
OF the body ia thrown first ON the left
big toe and then on the right big toe.
II by chance the rest Of the foot is
allowed To- participate In the support or
the body the little toe receives less OF
e than any OF the others. Ninety per
vent OF the shoes are Worn out con-
siderahlV more on the bis toe side than
on the little toe SIDE
Between the modern method OF walk
tnw and the wearing of tight htUng
shoes the little toe is doomed 10 an
early end. The disappearance will, OF
course, be gradual As the use OF the
foot il more and more confined TO the
big toe. the little toe will slowly but
surely diminish IN size with each sue
cessive generation.
According 10 physiclan who has
given the matter some study, the pro-
cess OF evolution will be something like
this; The anchloysed joints of the 1T
tie toe, now So common among Grown
up people, win begin 10 appear in the
newly horn babe, From the anchylosed
member to the web toe win he a short
step. cases will begin to appear of
the little toe and It's fellow united by
mernhranouS smaller or cartilage the
little toe becoming smaller in each sue
cesslve generation, until It loses all
semhlancc ~ toe and consists Of
etWmn merely.
IL Il estimated that by the beginning
Of the twenty FIRST century, unless
some very radical change Is made IN
footwear and i'm locomotton the eight
toed man and Woman viii be the rule,
the ten t0ed ones the execution.