FASHION AND DEFORMITY IN THE FEET. 649 



bind and the ball in front, and principally by the foot resting on the 

 broad line formed by the great-toe and the breadth of the fore part 

 of the foot." 



The dotted lines in Fig. 3 show the outlines of a quite liberal sole. 

 It is easy to see how an ordinary foot would be cramped if confined 

 within its limits. 



Fig. 4 shows a very common shape of the foot, produced by cramp- 

 ing and crowding the toes. Many persons have only to look at their 

 own feet to see fine specimens of this sort. 



Jig 4. 



The diseases most common to the feet are corns, bunyons, calluses, 

 enlarged and stiffened joints, stiff and wasted toes, overlapping and 

 underlapping toes, in-growing nails, caries of the bone, exostosis 

 of the toe-bones, onyxitis of the toes, flat-foot, club-foot, ulcers, malig- 

 nant and fibrous tumors, dislocations, changes in the shape of the 

 bones from pressure, and elephantiasis. All wounds, injuries, and dis- 

 eases are extremely liable to take on erysipelatous and scrofulous con- 

 ditions, which speedily endanger life through their inflammatory, gan- 

 grenous, or debilitating nature ; fatty degeneration of the tissues may 

 take place, and weakness of the joints and thickening of the ankles 

 plague their owners. 



Corns consist of hardened flesh that becomes thorn-like in its shape 

 and density, and a dismal source of pain. " A corn," says a writer, 

 " is really a wicked demon, incarnated in a piece of callous skin. Its 

 mission is to distress and agonize humanity and increase its wicked- 

 ness." Gross says, " A bunyon is a corn on a large scale," and he and 

 other writers agree that it is caused by a diversion of the great-toe 

 from its line with the arch of the foot. When the toe is thus diverted, 

 it forms an angle on the foot, which the shoe irritates and makes 

 callous ; inflammation sets in, and suppuration frequently ensues, 

 that, in extreme cases, may make necessary amputation of the foot 

 or feet. 



Fig. 5 represents the foot of a young woman who wore high- 

 heeled, narrow-soled shoes, which must also have been too short. 



Figures 6 and 7 represent forms of bunyon complicated with under- 

 and over-lapping toes. 



