Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-07-27
Are Little Toes Superf1uo by Frederic j. Haskin

VIZ AsHINGTON, D. c., July 22-Is
w the little toe superfluous part of
anatomy like the appendix? Eu-
ropean society women seem to think SO,
and they have both support and opposition
from science.
Society women abroad are said to be
having their little toes cut off in order
to wear narrow shoes, and women in this
country are asking curiously what the re-
suit will be- There is an old fairy story
in which the villainess cut off a part of
her heel to wear the slipper meant for
per on, but she hobbled so that it was
obvious that it was not fit. Ameri-
can women are asking whether the mar
row shoes will fit these European women
so that they will have the poise that comes
from a normal foot comfortably shod, or
whether the missing toe will leave them
rather wobbly, like the character in the
fairy tale.
government doctor who prefers to be
nameless expressed his unofficial opinion
He believes that the loss of one toe
would not seriously hamper locomotion in
an individual who did not demand too
much of her feet. In other words, the
very languid woman who need exert her
self only to get from her drawing room
to her limousine might have her little toe
cut off without feeling any particular loss
save stheir feet to this extent. The wom-
an in society, supposedly sedentary type,
often has to stand and look pleasant for
long stretches of time Sports and
dancing which play so large a part in the
social whrl demand foot comfort if any
pleasure is to be derived from them. This
doctor thinks that where poise and bal
ance are important, as in most sports, the
absence of the little toe would prove a
handicap. For ordinary walking there
would probably be no discomfort, at least
for a time. When they are encased in
tight shoes, the toes do not function as
they do when "a person walks barefooted,
and grips the ground with them.
Trouble May Come Later
However, he thinks that later there may
be trouble, through weakening of the
arches, especially of the transverse arch
at the base of the toes. Experts say that
the weight Of the foot is properly dis
tributed when a balance is preserved be-
tween the three points of the triangle
made by the foot The heel is one of the
points and the others are at the base of
the first and fifth toes. A good deal of the
trouble with arches is attributed to the
foot's being allowed to bend inward The
weight of the body is then on the INSIDE
of the foot and the pressure is too great
there for the arches. They roll over IN
ward, and become painful. If the fifth toe
ficulty in maintaining the proper weight
distribution, the doctor thinks and the
foot would tend to bend in with resulting
weakness and eventually discomfort.
teacher of ballet dancing agrees with
this opinion. Both hold that the outer
toes are important for balance. When you
grip the floor with the outside of the
foot the weight is properly distributed and
the arches are raised as they should be,
the ballet dancer says. If you try this
when you are, not wearing shoe you can
see his point easily. Then let the foot
bend in and see the arch sink and the foot
lose it's proper alignment.
Ballet dancers are taught in their first
lessons to throw their weight toward the
outside of the foot. They have to put
extra force into the muscles to keep them
taut because they are standing with their
toes out, a position which naturally
causes the foot to bend in. Because Of
the example of the dancers, many persons
walk with their toes out thinking it must
be proper way to hold the feet. They
neglect, however, to exert the extra pull
on their muscles to distribute the balance
properly. Tight shoes also tend to make
a person toe out.
Toeing out is regarded by experts as a
cause of corns, bunfons, improving nails
and arch troubles. They urge that every
one should toe in as Indians and bare
foot walkers do.
The theory that all of the toes are
needed for balance is opposed by a
British woman who claims that the ancient
Greeks, our ideals Of physical perfection,
balanced on the inside of the foot, main
ly on the great toe. She submits pictures
of statues illustrating this point. Other