Dress and care of the feet /

by John Lord Peck

This inefficiency of the common short heel to properly support the arch was first discovered by Dr. J. C. Plumer, of Boston, to whom is due the credit of showing the bad effects just noticed as the result of its being worn. His style of boot and last will be discussed further on.

It has been stated that as the foot flattens, it also lengthens. It has been estimated that some flat feet are as much as two sizes, or two-thirds of an inch, longer than the same feet would be if well arched; an item worth noticing by those who are fastidious upon this point.

In falling down, the calcaneum is pushed backward making the long-heeled foot, while the bones forward of the astragalus must advance more or less in their direction, thus adding to the foot’s length at both ends, and making the leg appear to be set far toward the middle. The ends must necessarily be separated before the middle of the arch can sink, and this is why its flattening is accompanied by the long heel. In a foot that is well arched, the projection of bone at the upper part of the heel extends farther back than the lower edge at the sole. In a flat foot, on the contrary, the bottom part extends back farther than the bony projection above, which, in fact, is pretty sure not to project at all.

It may be asked, Why not keep the ends of the arch together by a boot that is short at both ends, supposing such a one could be made that would not distort the toes? Simply because it would prevent the use, and consequent strength, of the muscles of the under side of the foot, which are themselves the natural bands for holding the ends together, and the whole arch in its raised position. These muscles, being weakened by the cramping of a short boot, would allow the arch to sink whenever the artificial support was taken away. This reasoning seems to indicate such a treatment as one of the causes by which flatness is produced, and as pinching the foot lengthwise has been a common fault, this cause may have been quite effective.

Dr. Meyer thus refers to another bad influence:

“We have already seen that the foot forms an arch, the efficiency of which in a special manner depends on the tensity of its ligaments being maintained. If then, an unnatural and flattening pressure be constantly exercised on this arch, the binding ligaments get slackened and the arch falls down; a broken-down arch, as we have already seen, causes flat-foot. The pressure of the upper leather on the instep must, therefore, and particularly in the case of narrow boots, favour the origin of this deformity. The same cause must further interfere with locomotion, for at every step the increased arching of the instep, which takes place the moment that the foot is set to [? raised from] the ground is resisted by the upper leather, and an injurious influence is thus exercised on the action of some of the muscles used in walking, and which runs from the anterior aspect of the lower leg to the back of the foot.”

All cramping, binding, and confining of any part of the body weakens it, as is well known to every intelligent reader. Hence the manifest impropriety of wearing anything unnecessarily tight or binding to the arch of the instep. Every boot that is uncomfortably tight has to some degree the effect of weakening, and rendering it more liable to fall down.

More especially is this the case when the leather used is thick, hard, or stiff. Much of the cheap and inferior goods offered for sale ready-made are seriously objectionable on this account. The uppers themselves are—a large share of them, at least—thick and hard, while the pegged soles are made as stiff as possible, to give the appearance of thick, solid, and serviceable leather in that part. Many a poor man is thus actually hobbled, to a greater or less extent, by the miserable foot-gear his poverty compels him to wear. As there is but very little bend to them, there is but little use of the muscles of the foot. It is cramped or unnaturally pressed upon, even though having plenty of room, and might almost as well be cased in iron as in the stiff kip or cowhide boot or brogan. The result is weakness, flattening, and a tendency to other kinds of distortion. We believe the frequency of flat-foot among some of the poorer classes of people may thus be easily accounted for.

The peasantry of other countries are even less fortunate than our own. Saying nothing of wooden shoes, the leather ones they wear are not only thick and stiff in material, but the soles are often filled with stout iron nails besides. With such things on the feet there can be no spring to the toes, no use for the forward part of the arch, no play to the muscles. The feet can hardly be otherwise than weak and flat. When tightness is added to stiffness the effect must be still worse.

Children must feel these bad consequences more than adults, for being less firm in their muscles and bones, they have less power of resisting the cramping, weakening influence. Some of the boots manufactured in this country for boys can be recommended only as a slightly less evil than going barefoot in cold weather.