The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-02-27
Foot Troubles
Cause Ailments

If you can't understand why a per-
son is peevish investigate his feet.
Headaches, backaehes, eye troubles
and many other ailments that seem
to be inflicted on the human race for
no particular purpose at all and
which we are all more or less fond of
treating with physic, liniment, balm,
tonic and massage can be traced to
careless inattention to the feet.
What do We expect of our feet any
way? Just that they keep out of our
way and refrain from hurting?
Whatever we expect, We actually
give them an average burden of
l 100000 pounds of weight per day
to sustain. We take 5000 steps
day, the value of which activity is
only given its just due when we are
laid up in bed and spending our time
examining the paper pattern on the
ceiling.
The little instrument, called foot,
which so faithfully, tho sometimes
painfully, carries the burden of our
avoirdupois day and night (some-
times) is really very delicate struc-
ture. The two feet together contain
one-fourth of all the bones in the
entire human body Each foot con-
sists of four arches all perfectly adj
iusted to do a tremendous amount
of work and give spring and elastic
ity and comfort. But these arches
can be broken down, fiattened out,
stretched and Strengthened until the
whole body to which they are ap-
pended feels like a wrung-out dish
discomfort.
Most foot troubles are caused by
shoes too short The toes may be an
inch from the end of the shoe and
yet the arch will break down because
the shoes is structurally too short.
The thing that matters most in
length of shoes is the hinge, and that
the foot. If it is behind it gradually
makes hinge in the foot where no
hinge ought to be.
Statistics show that of the 300, 900
soldiers who did duty on the Mexican
border fully 5000 of them had shoes
properly fitted to their feet. OF
these 800 pairs were too long. The
295, 900 with shoes too short lacked
from half to four sizes of wearing
the right length. During the late
war foot fitting was a little better
looked after, often by experts.
The beginning of foot trouble from
wearing shoes too short is a knuckl-
ing back of the toes and spreading
out of the front arch. When the
arch spreads it fiattens down. Bun
yons first and fiat feet follow.
Some persons think that bunyons
are hereditary and that if their par
.ents were troubled with them they
must suffer out the same kind of a
hampered existence. But it isn't
true. Bunyon's come from treatment
of the feet. 1t is the habit of shoeing
that is hereditary and which is be-
ing reformed great deal nowadays.
One should be as finicky about the
fit of a shoe as he is about the fit of
ant to have right fitting shoes than
nicely fitted gloves.
1t seems natural enough that a
human being should take as much
care of his feet as his hands. OF
course the feet are not seen, but they
are felt. If they get sweaty and
dirty of course they are covered up,
but they take toll of the rest of the
body. Nobody should sympathise
with person who has trouble with
his or her feet, for such ailments are
self inflicted
We owe to the gentle art of adj
vertising the fact that education on
foot hygiene is now going forward
in the public schools and colleges of
the United States. Healthy feet
alone will give good understanding
At the Blackfoot high school Fri
day morning Mr.. N. A. Goodwin of
the educational staff of the Scholl
manufacturing company (Which
makes foot appliances) lectured the
students for an hour on care of the
feet He showed by stereoptican
views every part of the human foot,
every bone, and every posture. U.s.
ual defOrmitieS of feet were |
illustrated and their prevention was
the subject of DR.. Goodwin's very in
teresting lecture.
Of course the doctor does not get |
paid for this educational work by |
the people who benefit, but because
if people take good care of their feet |
they will use foot soap, lubricating |
balm and specially prepared foot |
powder, all of which are made by the |
Scholl manufacturing company,
which salaries the doctor and keeps |
him on the road. He has given this |
lecture in more than 400 schools and |
universities in the United States and |
Canada and was brought here by the
Brown-Hart company, dealers for his
line of appliances. OF this is adver-
Using. so is education