THE CHINESE FEMALE FOOT. 



257 



ceding one. A corn which appears on the space external and posterior to the 

 nail of this toe, seems to indicate that, as the point of the fore part of the foot 

 which is first subjected to pressure. We come now to the ball of the great 

 toe, which separates the toes already described, from the two outer ones : 

 it does not present its usual full convex appeai-ance, but is flattened on its 

 under surface, and compressed from before backwards by the position of 

 the third and fourth toes. The position of the two remaining toes is very re- 

 markable, and differs essentially from that of the others : for while in them 

 only two phalanges are bent under the plantar region of the foot, in these all 

 the phalanges are doubled beneath it in such a manner as to produce a visible 

 depression in the external edge of the foot. The fourth toe is placed more ob- 

 liquely than the third, with its nail very much contracted, and is situated on its 

 anterior edge ; a large corn presents itself more external to the nail than in the 

 third toe. The last or fifth toe stretches in a transverse direction across the 

 under surface of the foot, and forms the anterior boundary to a deep cleft which 

 occupies the centre of the sole. This toe is so much expanded as to appear the 

 largest ; externally and posterior to its nail it has two corns, placed much in 

 the same manner as that on the fourth toe. But the strangest feature in this 

 deformity is the cleft, or hollow just mentioned ; it is very deep, with a slight 

 obliquity from without inwards, and extends transversely across the whole 

 breadth of the foot between the toes and the heel. To judge from its appear- 

 ance, one might suppose that the heel and toes had been forcibly brought 

 together, so as considerably to diminish the whole length of the foot, and to 

 convert its natui-al longitudinal hollow into that deep concavity. The heel 

 which forms the other boundary of the cleft, presents a large square surface, 

 if not entirely flattened, yet with a striking diminution of convexity, so as to 

 suggest the probability that it affords the principal point of support in pro- 

 gression ; a surmise which is further corroborated by the great density of the 

 skin of this part. 



Dorsum of the Foot. 



The external character of the foot is completely altered here also; the direc- 

 tion of the leg downward and forward, forming before an obtuse angle with 

 the foot, so as to give it an appearance of permanent extension, is the first cir- 



MDCCCXXIX. 2 L 



