CORNS. 205 



and E . \vhich hinder the escape of the perspiration. In a 



smal: . ti'_ r ht socks and stockings favour tin; formation of conis by crowding 



tin- tors together and prevent ui'_( their rvrii spivad in walking. 



Corns, how. iot always confined to the feet. In tailors and seamstresses 



be found on thr palm of the hand and on the knuckles, and are then due 

 ion of the thimble. Occasionally in people who play the harp or violon- 

 cello they occur on the tips of the fingers or on the thumb. It is said that in those 

 \\ ho do much writing they may arise from the friction of the pen. Certain occu- 

 u-h as thr miner's, may excite their growth on the prominences of the 

 >\v.s. 



There can be no doubt that in some cases a predisposition to the formation of 



corns is hereditary. We have heard people say that one or more of their children 



bom with a corn, and we see no reason for doubting the truth of the statement. 



Corns may be roughly divided into hard corns and soft corns. Soft corns occur 

 ; illy between the toes, their most common situation being on one side of the 

 fourth toe. They probably arise from the friction of the toe against its neighbour, 

 ui'l they are kept constantly moist by the secretion of the foot, which in this situa- 

 tion escapes with difficulty. They differ from hard corns in being more sensitive, 

 and in the rapidity of their growth. Their rapid formation is due to the warmth 

 and moisture of the foot. There is a special form of warty corn which occurs only on 

 the sole of the foot. It is usually of small size, and round in shape. It is extremely 

 sensitive to the touch, and may become the source of the greatest possible pain and 

 inconvenience to the sufferer, preventing his walking, and, in fact, completely 

 crippling him. 



The pain of a com is usually most severe in damp weather. It is not uncommon 

 to hear people say, " I know it is going to rain, my corns shoot so." As a rule, they 

 cause most inconvenience in the spring. Sometimes corns become inflamed and 

 matter forms beneath them, giving rise to intense pain. Occasionally the matter 

 makes its way into a neighbouring joint, causing all kinds of trouble. 



There can be no doubt that in many cases curvature of the spine has been caused 

 by a corn. The sufferer has been for years in the habit of throwing the weight of 

 the body in walking on one side, in order to relieve the pain of a corn on the opposite 

 foot, and this has gradually given rise to bending of the spine. 



The first thing to be done in the treatment of corns is to remove, as far as 

 possible, the cause on which they are dependent. In the case of corns on the feet 

 it is very essential to have well-fitting boots, and it may even be advisable to have 

 them made of some other material than leather as, for example, the invention 

 rejoicing in the classical but ungrammatical name of pannus corium. We need 

 L:;nlly say that the feet should be rested as much as possible. An illness which 

 confines a person to bed for some time often relieves him of his corns. 



Anything that mechanically protects the corn from pressure proves advantageous. 

 Little circular pieces of felt or leather punched with a hole in the middle, are often 

 used for this purpose. If the corn seems inclined to bulge through the hole in the 

 corn-plaster, it may be either pared down or covered with a piece of thin rag or 

 diachylon plaster. In the case of soft corns, it is a good plan to surround the toe 



