654 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



is shifted, and the weight becomes unequally distributed among the 

 different parts of the foot, and the forward portion has to do the bulk 

 of the work. The inevitable detriment such a condition entails upon 

 the health of the foot and of the body does not need to be enlarged 

 upon. Additional inconveniences resulting from it arise from the lia- 

 bility of the body to fall from its unstable poise, and the propensity 

 of the narrowly pointed heels to catch in every little crack or opening, 

 and trip up the wearer. Of these evils the awkward, tottering gait 

 produced by high-heeled shoes is visible evidence. 



The center of gravity of the body falls directly on the angle pro- 

 duced by the lines A and B in Fig. 15, which shows the foot at rest 

 in its normal position on a level surface ; the line A falls inside the 

 outline of the foot, whereby the harmonious relations of each portion 

 of the foot are indicated. Figs. 13 and 16 represent the foot as in 

 position upon high heels, 13 being rather exaggerated, but 16 little 

 higher than the average heel. A glance will show that just as the 

 heel is elevated, the line A is thrown outside of the outline of the 

 foot, disturbing the relation of its parts, throwing the weight of the 

 body unequally upon it, and thereby seriously interfering with its 

 functions. 



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Fig. 12 Splay or Flat Foot. 



There are those who believe and assert that an upright carriage of 

 the body is assisted by high heels. A little thought and observation 

 will convince the candid inquirer that this is a mistake. A shoemaker 

 called my attention to the baggy trousers knees observable in connec- 

 tion with the wearing of high-heeled boots, and said, " Elevation of the 

 heel thrusts the knee forward." The human body should stand erect 

 from the heels upward, but the projection of the knee makes necessary 

 a bending forward of the whole frame, to maintain an equilibrium. 

 This is undoubtedly one cause of the ungraceful round shoulders and 

 poked-forward head noticeable with so many women and girls. 



The shoes of men, as a rule, are not so badly constructed and worn 

 as the shoes of women and children. A larger proportion of men 

 wear custom-made shoes, in which some effort is made to fit the foot. 

 Business-men generally have eschewed heels, except the lowest "lifts." 



