The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-01-13

fortunately. are not. Shoes, there
fore, have a great deal TO do with
foot comfort. A great many peo-
pie suffer fortunes with their feet
because they have weak ankles.
High shoes, which have almost
gone out Of style, are as good for
these people as crutches.
The fitting Of shoes is a respon-
sibility which is enormously and
widely neglected in this country.
In every state in the Union a Ii
cense is required for blacksmith,
bat nobody who undertakes to fit a
shoe to a human being has TO have
O license.
4 great many shoe filters DO not
study the buyers foot carefully
enough or make careful enough
measurements and they too easily
allow the buyer to select the shoe
that he takes fancy to without
attempting TO argue him into the
one which would give him more
comfort
Functions Of Foot
The functions of the foot are
support and propulsion. The mus.
c.es and tendons arrange them
selves to give support to the bones
m whatever work the foot is do
ing A high-heeled shoe makes the
ankle less stable and more sub
Ject 10 strain and puts more Of a
strain on the muscles to keep
the ankle joint in place. A high
heeled shoe therefore increases the
amount of strain and muscle stress
the foot has TO uphold.
Every time you take a step the
foot receives the shock of contact
with the ground, supports the body
and raises il forward. and itself is
then brought forward, completing
the cycle. Heel-and-toe walking
Jars the entire skeleton and the
central nervous system.
A man with a throbbing head
ache walks on his toes to avoid this
Jar, but in the absence of head
ache the jar is there just the same;
hence, the comfort Of rubber heels.
The tap, tap, tap Of high heels is
like a continuous hammering proc
ess. The physiological walker will
have mis- toes hit the ground al
most as soon as his heels.
Exercise and Rest
Neither prolonged use nor pro-
longed rest is good for the bones,
muscles and tendons Of your feet
any more than for any other part
Of the body. The foot needs both
exercise and rest to be healthful.
Flat foot is not simply break
down Of one Of the arches Of the
foot. 1t may be due to q large
number of conditions, some of
which | have implied or mentioned
above: in other words. badly
planned periods Of exercise and
rest, shoes which throw a strain on
the ankles, walking which jars and
strains the foot and its tendonS
and muscles, and a condition whith
did not mention, which is strain
caused by unphysiological position
Of the feet due to corns or bunions.
Most Of these conditions can be
corrected by properly fitted shoes
or by shoes which have supports
or wedges which are placed where
they are needed, as the case may
be. Vanity in women and careless
ness in men is the cause Of at least
u per cent Of the foot troubles Of
the world.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Mrs. G. G.: What causes tic
douloureux? Is there a reliable
remedy for the relief Of the pain!
Is the removal Of the nerve the
only cure?
Answer: The cause Of tic dou.
loureux is unknown. II is a neuri-
It's Of the facial nerve. In the
treatment many remedies have
been suggested such as tincture Of
gelsemium, injection Of the nerve
with alcohol. Both Of these are
valuable. 1t is not always neeea-
Sary to remove the nerve