FASHION AND DEFORMITY IN THE FEET. 655 



Among soldiers and policemen, foot-soreness is a common complaint, 

 and renders the man who has to endure it unfit for service. It is stated 

 that, during the late East Indian wars, the native foot-soldiery, when 

 ordered to " march," took off their regulation shoes and hung them on 

 the ends of their muskets, while they went barefoot. Commanding 

 officers reported great loss of men who could not keep up on account 

 of foot-soreness, and were easily picked off by the enemy. A High- 

 land regiment, when ordered to " charge " the foe, took off their shoes 

 and charged barefoot, as they could do more effective work. The regu- 

 lation shoes interfered with free muscular action. Dowie characterizes 

 the shoe as a " Juggernaut of cruelty," saying it possesses wedge-toes, 

 a rigid waist, high heels, and convex inner soles, and adds : " If a sol- 

 dier be weak or lame in the feet, he can never apply with advantage 

 the strength of his arm in charging the enemy, or in sustaining a 

 charge, because the foot is that part of the mechanical system or lev- 

 erage which rests upon the fulcrum, the ground, and, if you weaken the 

 leverage at this important point, the strength of the whole system is 

 reduced." 



Fio. 13. 



The opinions of Mr. Dowie on this subject coincide with those of 

 eminent military men. The defects which he enumerated were com- 

 mon in the shoes of our own soldiery during the late war, and were 

 followed with the same results. 



It is very hard to find any woman who will confess that her shoes 

 are too tight, too short, or too high-heeled. Her shoes are usually 

 " miles too big," and hurt by their looseness. If women complain of 

 lame backs or aching feet, they will be sure the shoes have no part in 

 it ; because women are really not aware how they have departed from 

 nature in this regard. The perfect female foot is described by a phy- 

 sician as follows : " It should have great breadth and fullness of instep, 

 a well-marked great-toe, a long second toe, a small little-toe." Wom- 

 an needs a strong and firm footing, particularly because of her func- 

 tion of motherhood, and yet this perfect foot is the exact opposite of 



