498 JOINTED SHOE — PATENTEES. [BOOK III. 



thus positively promoted. Hereby too the distance 

 between the sole and the inner rim is increased, 

 and is moreover le^s likely to retain stones, gravel, 

 or filth, than is the usual flat surfaced shoe, and 

 possesses all the advantages of the seated shoe of 

 old Osmer, that has been claimed by some of our 

 moderns. Moorcroft took great pains to recom- 

 mend the seated shoe, but finding some difficulty 

 in getting them manufactured, he set up a machine 

 for punching out the hollows, that quite failed of 

 success, because the power employed was only 

 equal to cutting soft irony and this was found in- 

 adequate to the required wear, we are told. Why 

 he did not subsequently harden, or ls steel" the toe 

 and heels seems surprising at this day. 



Healthy feet are those alone which we have kept 

 in view hitherto ; the bar-shoe, concave and seated 

 shoes, being contrivances for ill-formed and dis- 

 eased feet, require separate notice. But the idea 

 of giving elasticity to the hoof by means of the 

 jointed shoe, being a preventive remedy, calculated 

 for the preservation of health by giving lateral 

 action to the internal sensible parts of the foot, we 

 will very briefly describe the contrivances of several 

 inventors and patentees, whether philanthropic or 

 sordid, with this previous intimation, viz. that it 

 becomes " any and every" shoeing smith whatever 

 to make " any or either" of such jointed shoes, 

 notwithstanding certain " letters patent," letters of 

 puff, or volumes of stuff, whereby those so-called 

 patentees, and others, arrogate to themselves the 



