270 ADVANCED PHYSIOLOGY 



preserve one's health, exercise is necessary; no one can main- 

 tain his body in good condition for many years without it. 

 It is difficult to think of any real exercise in which the feet do 

 not take some part. Walking, which is about the mildest 

 form of exercise, is of course absolutely dependent on the con- 

 dition of the feet. If they are uncomfortable when one 

 stands or walks he will stay at home as much as possible, or 

 will use conveyances instead of his own muscles. He will 

 become more and more indisposed to exercise and out-door 

 life generally, and his health will inevitably suffer. As much 

 attention should therefore be paid to foot wear as to clothing 

 for other parts of the body, and there is no reason why one 

 should not retain through life feet which will be a comfort, 

 instead of a painful hindrance and an agent limiting him in 

 all his physical activities. 



Climate and modern customs compel us to wear shoes, 

 but the barefooted child of summer time is still the one who 



experiences the greatest 

 comfort, and whose feet 

 teach us what we all need 

 to know as to the shape 

 of shoes. Fashion, rather 

 than health or comfort, 

 has dictated the shapes 

 FIG. 136. THE BONES AND LIGAMENTS of our shoes, and there 

 OP THE FOOT are few people who do 



To show the arch of the instep. (Modified from n()t guffer j n CO nsequence. 

 Thompson) . M ,. 



Practically all defective 



feet, save those improperly shaped from birth, are due to 

 badly patterned footwear. 



All common troubles of the feet have to do either (1) with 

 the skin, or (2) with the bones and ligaments in the foot skele- 

 ton. The most common skin deformities causing pain are 

 corns and bunions. Even though the shoe is properly 

 shaped, if it fits too loosely or too tightly, corns are the al- 



