Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-23
With Calcanettes.

advantage OF walking as an exercise-ltS
numerous passive movements. In the or
binary walk the weight of the body is
borne by the bones. In EXTENSION walk
ing it throws more weight on the muscles.
Two Kinds of Fatigue.
You see therefore. there are two kinds Of
fatigue in walking. The recent great prog
ress realized in the technical histology Of
the nervous centers permits specialists to
realize the astonishing quantity of fatigue
that may result from the inhibition of the
brain and spinal marrow by means of the
constantly repeated shock of stepping. The
mechanism of violent death, even, by no
matter what species of commotion, includ-
ing that by means of bullet in the brain,
is explained I'm the same way.
Walking is, after all. falling of the
body, stopped at the right moment and
carried on on horizontal movement. This
falling shock, in no matter what kind of
walk, is at first unfelt. Little by little it
becomes perceptibe, and Increases as the
walk continues. And finally IL produces, at
each posing of the foot, veritable pain.
1t comes from this that, at the end of a
long walk, you will often the tired
pedestrian instinctively change his usual
gait into walk Tin fexion. precisely to
these shocks. But ought We to con-
clude from 1t in favor of the "fexion
waIk?''
There is no doubt that in the ordinary
extension walk this shock to the brain is
more considerable. There is doubt that
the 'fexion walk mitigates it. But, on
the other hand. there is the second form of
fatigue above mentioned
This is muscular fatigue. 'Flexion walk
ing gains its elasticity and its quickened
step by strain on the muscles of the legs
and trunk The whole question-which re-
mains in Disputes which of these two
species of fatigue gains most on the other.
New Walking Machine.
OF course. this is not the end of the story
We would not be in France if some new
brilliant invention did not arise to do away
with one or both of these two species of
fatigue the moment that the great mass OF
the people interests itself in walking
1t is for this reason that we see exposed
everywhere in shop windows the new walk
Ing machine called the calcanette.''
/ do not know what professional pedes-
TRANS university sports will think of
them, but | assure you that uncounted
thousands of French men, girls, old fellows
and young things, not to mention obese
ladies to whom walking is recommended as
panacea, may now be seen hopping
around Paris with springs in their heels
very lively, very giddy-giddy. And we
ought not to condemn new invention I'M
heard.
Besides the calcanettes are cheap. TnI.
puts them within the reach of soldiers OF
whom it is said at least one-third are tram
ing with them for the army walking match.
Here is the theory. Diminish the shock
to the brain caused by the ordinary style
of walking. because who ever learned
''fexion walking" without teacher?
Not New Idea
The idea started fifteen years ago
by Leon Colin, a medical inspector of the
army. He proposed to suppress the shock
to the brain and spinal marrow of the
infantry soldier by putting block of elias
tic gum in the heel of his shoe. 1t did not
work for one reason. because he wanted
to be too economical. His idea was to
save the rubber by putting it inside the
leather heel
Around 1899 Capt. Del Pablo de Undne
had an analogous invention tried by the
Swiss army. 1t consisted of hollow tube
of India rubber shaped like a horse shoe
and fixed between the heel and kind of
moving half-heel. The effect was found
good but not lasting because the rubber
lost It's elasticity and hattened
Other inventions have consisted of filing
Dig cavity in the heel with little rubber
balls either hollow or solid. They were
not practical.
And here again lately big Paris snort
ing goods house has put pneumatic soIes''
upon the market They consist of what
you would call gymnastic shoes. with soles
containing an air chamber to make them
eIastlc FOR running on ones toes for a
short distance they have. been found vaIu-
able But they are no use in long distance
walking, because the movement of your
foot in walking is in no way comparable
to that of a wheel with pneumatic tire
Rubber in Use.
To sum up, it seems that the only rubber
device of any value is the all-rubber sole
of certain gymnasium shoes, and perhaps
in as great degree, the solid rubber heels
which certain swell shoemakers are begin
ming to put on their shoes for Parisians at
a rather stiff price But 1t is alleged that
all these rubber devices harden and become
useless.
The calcanette is different. Also it is
new. in its first vogue. with thousands of
enthusiasts The calcanette is formed of
two aluminium clack valves, with their
flanges turned in and articulated a their
lower extremity by double hinge, as in
the illustration. Between these valves.
which close on. each other like a kind of
box is inserted an oblique helicoidal spring
of special make, of very robust and supple
steel: and observe, the resistance of this
spring ought to be at least equal TO the
weight of the body of the person using il.
The form and dimensions of the whole
machine do not differ from those false heels
of cork which women (and mem often place
In their shoes to increase their height and
exaggsrate the curve of the instep. 1t is.
as YOU see, independent of the shoe and
may be changed from one shoe to another.
The Partisan who wants to take pedes-
trian exercise without jolting his brain puts
his patent springs inside his shoes at tho
heels. At once he seems to be walking on
velvet
More than that he feels springy-
He feels as If he was walking on a spring.
board. Indeed, the calcanettes are little
very strong. Possessing a
resistance equal to from 10 to 30 pounds
more than the walkers weight. the shock
Of posing the foot is At once transformed
into j lift to help the Partisan on
And so he goes spring boarding through
the avenues and boulevards of the gay cap
ItaI. The. thing is brand new. 1t is snowy.
II remains to be seen 4 i VIII last;