For the purpose of cleansing the nails, an orange stick or nail-file should be used, and never the point of the scissors or the blade of a knife, for either of these causes a roughening of the under surface of the nails, whereby the lodgment of dirt becomes only the more securely fixed. After the use of the nail-file, the nail-brush should be used, followed again by the use of the file or stick. If there is a tendency to a roughening of the skin under the nail, it can be obviated by the use of cold cream at night. Just before retiring, the fingers should be dipped into cold cream, and let the tips take up just as much as they will retain, and after this dipped into talcum powder.
The small rim of epidermis which laps over the nail should be gently shoved back with the orange stick every day. This skin, when torn, forms the so-called hangnails, by which infection easily enters the system; it may give rise to felons or even to general blood-poisoning.
The Care of the Feet.—In the care of the feet it must be remembered that the leather of the closely fitting boot allows very little ventilation, and so more attention must be paid to the airing of the feet as well as to their bathing. The feet should be bathed twice daily.
On making the toilet for the evening dinner both shoes and stockings should be changed, the stockings hung up in the room, and the shoes left out to air and dry, instead of being stuffed into the shoe-bag, to remain there until the next morning.
An alcohol rub will be found very refreshing to weary feet. For profuse perspiration of the feet, boric acid or talcum powder may be used, dusting the powder over the feet both night and morning.
Ingrowing Toe-nails.—The common causes of ingrowing toe-nails are improper foot-wear and an improper method of cutting the nails. If the nail is cut too short, especially at the angles, while at the same time the shoe is too short or too narrow, the skin of the toe is forced over the nail, so that it necessarily happens that, by the further growth of the nail, the flesh of the toe is pushed still further over, until a point is reached where inflammation is set up. There is excruciating pain, which may be accompanied by the formation of a small tumor, which forms pus and may go on to granulation—the so-called “proud flesh.”
The preventive measures of the trouble are, first, in cutting of the nails. The toe-nail should be cut in a concave form, the outer angle projecting beyond the toe. If there is a tendency for the flesh to grow over the nail, the flesh should be pushed back from the nail, and fastened in this position with a strip of oxid of zinc plaster, and a gauze packing should be inserted under the nail-edge. A saturated solution of boric acid serves as an antiseptic dressing. It is often possible to cut off the projecting nail, and, by the use of the boric acid dressing, the trouble disappears in a few days. Attention should always be given to the toe-nails when bathing.
Corns.—There are two varieties of corns; both are very painful. Soft corns come between the toes, and unless absorbent cotton is inserted to prevent the rubbing of the toes together, a second corn appears on the opposing surface of the adjoining toe. A very effective remedy for this is the application of blue-stone, or sulphate of copper, to the corn. The stone is moistened in water and then applied thoroughly to the corn; absorbent cotton should be placed between the toes. In very severe cases it may be necessary to stay off the feet for a few days and keep the foot upon a chair.
Hard corns must be cut down with the greatest care. It should be done directly after the bath, so as to have the skin in as nearly an aseptic condition as possible. A small scalpel, composed entirely of steel, should be kept for this purpose. It must be thoroughly cleaned after it is used, and just before its use be sterilized by boiling for five minutes. The reasons for these precautions are the possibility of cutting into the flesh and setting up blood-poisoning by the entrance of germs into the wound.