New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-06-02
Defective Feet-and Why

NOME surprising statements were made
- few weeks ago in Schenectady by
DR.. Otto F. Schuster in the course of an
address before the child welfare division
of the Health Department. The text of
the address is printed in the May issue
of THE Pediatrist." The seeds Of neglect
began bearing significant fruit with the
calling of thousands of young men for
military service. 1t is estimated that GO
per cent Of the men rejected after exami-
nation were set aside on account of bad
feet.
Dr. Schuster's observations of children
OF school age show that, as he puts it in
his own phraseology-
easily 60 per cent are suffering, conscious
~ or unconscously, from defective feet,
and that this observation is correct is
proved by the findings of other men who
nave made a study of chldren's feet. In
4ae'' one of my former students reported
mat 60 per cent of the members of a bows
eiuo examined by him had defective feet.
AT first glance this percentage seems to
De aonormally high, but it is not any high
er than the percentage of children in our
schools"
10 the foot expert, he further declares,
the waste of otherwise good soldier ma
'erial simply on the ground of neglect
seems almost crime" A great many
Vi the rejected draft men, he thinks,
would be fit to-day had the proper care
oeen given to their feet while they were
children.
And this leads to another phase:
me percentage of bad feet in our young
men Is high, but the percentage of bad feet
-. ., our young girls is very much higher, and
'ne only reason we do not know as much
soout it is that the young ladies are not as
YET accepted as soldiers, but if they were
eilgible easily 80 per cent would have to be
rejected on account of their feet. Now, this
statement is not made at random, but is
Dssed on facts which any one can verify
"ho IS Interested in feet and observes the
ing"
Dr. Osgood, an orthopedic surgeon of
iame, reported that an investigation of
the entering classes at Wellesley College
showed that n per cent Of all the young
'aaies examined had faulty weight-bear-
ing lines. In Smith College it reached 80
Per cent.
AS for the foot itself
i Is rather complicated piece of machin,
ss'y. IL consists of twenty-six bones that are
neg together by ligaments which are con-
,Ho'ied by many muscles in the foot and
~. 1t moves sideways as we'll az up and
a0wn, and has besides the ankle Joint and
we joints several other joints in which
A0t!ons take place that are essential for
proper locomotion.
:, In standing the feet simpiy act es base
.aat supports the body weight, but in walk
~ as tney act as levers that propel the weight
inward. During this action the weight Of
sae body is first received on the heel, then
sarred along the outer border Of the foot,
sa is finally lifted over a fulerum pro-
.oed by the heads of the bones to which
'ae toes are connected
10 perform their duty as levers prep
~ ..y the feet must be held parallel to ZACH
!, ysher IN walking; they must be in front of
y, ,ss legs, and not turned outward, because
4 ehey are turned outward the greater
!. uount Of body weight is not carried along
~ outer and stronger border of the foot
- should, but along the inner and weak-
s'ce. Therefore, when we teach our chill
ian s.'i to toe out when walking, rs has beep
~ mary in the past and is still in vogue
70 large extent, we sre endorsing
.ststude that is contrary to natures In
ION ana II Rsoduetiye Of weakness and
& rnnlty in tl1eir feet"