Dress and care of the feet /

by John Lord Peck

Fig. 17.—Toes Drawn to an Angle.

Here it may be observed that in Fig. 16 the lines drawn past the sides of the toes are nearly parallel to the line through the foot’s centre, while in Fig. 17 they quickly form an angle with it.

Dr. Camper’s rule, strictly interpreted, would have made a right-and-left last of the most extreme character, but by narrowing the toe from inside and outside alike, it was converted into one no better than straight. What is now proposed is, that we take this rule and amend it by providing that when the inside of the sole has the right form to let the great toe lie parallel to the line through the middle, any further narrowing of the toe shall be done from the outside only; and as the ball of the last projects slightly over the bottom or sole, it is conceived that the inside margin of the sole should be nothing less than straight, and parallel to the line of the foot’s length, from the ball forward, in order to give the great toe the position claimed. This would make a last a little more straight on the inside than the one described as the Compromise. We will call it the Excelsior, and represent it by a diagram, Fig. 18.

Fig. 18.—Sole of Excelsior Last.

Our reason for insisting that the toe be narrowed only from the outside is the fact already stated, that the consequences of bending the great toe are far worse than those of bending the little ones. Besides, it is not intended to draw them together any farther than to make them touch, and this can be done without distorting any of them, by leaving the great one in its natural position, or nearly so, and making all the curve of the sole on the outside. The outside toes being shortest, they permit this to be done without bending them more than a very little. Of course it must be remembered that the sole cannot be narrowed beyond a certain limit without injury to the foot. A medium width of toe is the narrowest that is allowable, consistently with the object we have in view.

The last-maker will understand that the thickest part of the toe of the last is not to be at the middle, but at the inside, in order to give room for the great toe in the straight-ahead position claimed for it. At the ball the wood is expected to project, as in all lasts, very slightly over the bottom.

This is, perhaps, the best form—the nearest approach to that of the foot—which is practically attainable while the modern boot and shoe retain their present peculiarity, of a sole narrower at the toe than at the ball. On the whole, it is probably equal or superior to that recommended by Prof. Meyer, for though his is more crooked, giving larger latitude to the great toe, it is a question if it does not, by the extreme curve, tend to cramp the little ones more than necessary, thus making a balance between a good point and a bad one. Prof. Meyer’s form may be best for certain feet, and for a particular purpose, as will be explained in speaking of the remedy for crooked toes, but for general purposes we have more faith in this. If it were adopted in general use, and more especially for the shoes of children, and those who have not yet seriously deformed their feet at the joint, the next generation would show that crooked toes, soft corns, inverted nails, big joints, and bunions had been almost abolished. Such a result is entirely worthy of a noble effort on the part of those who furnish foot coverings. Such an effort, too, when made, will surely be seconded by the growing intelligence of the whole people, who will be constantly learning a better appreciation of the reform. It is to be hoped that manufacturers and wearers will both see what is for their credit and interest, and unite in securing its realization.

But it will not do to be content with what is, after all, only a rough approximation to the perfect form, for, superior as is the Excelsior last to all the existing shapes, it is still but a transition to one more complete and more permanently enduring. Like all the others, it fails to give the outside toes a chance to keep their natural form. The foot, in its normal condition, does not very closely resemble any of the shapes that have here been illustrated. It is only after it has been distorted that there appears any real fitness between it and the shoe. The forward part of the foot is wider than the middle; but this fact is not recognized in making its covering. Even Prof. Meyer is no more consistent than others, as may be seen by contrasting one of the specimens of natural feet which he shows us with the sole of a shoe such as he would have it clothed with. As exhibited in the cuts below, is there any good correspondence between the two, except that both have a general straightness upon the inside?