LOWERING THE FEET. 235 



be shortened. This growth requires removing once 

 a month, as a general rule, and, as a general rule 

 also, shoes require renewing, under ordinary con- 

 ditions, once a month. Therefore it is not requisite 

 that a shoe should be any thicker than is necessary 

 to last that time. 



As the sole of the foot is, for the purpose of 

 strength, constructed so as to be somewhat concave, 

 it does not require to be cut down, and should never 

 be touched further than to trim off any ragged 

 growths from the frog. All superfluous horn will 

 flake out, and in a healthy foot will preserve its 

 concavity sufficiently to obviate any necessity for 

 its being lowered. 



The crust, on the contrary, must be lowered, and 

 the month's growth removed ; but no more than this 

 amount should be taken off; and in this lowering 

 care must be taken that both feet are left of exactly 

 the same length, and that each foot is 'perfectly 

 level and true to the ground. That is all that 

 should be done ; nothing more is required ; anything 

 further than that is not only unnecessary, but 

 harmful. The foot is now ready for the shoe to be 

 fitted on. I have shown that the crust is thicker 

 at the toe than at the heel. The crust is the 

 portion of the foot on which the shoe must rest — 

 on it, and it alone, and not on the sole. The shoe, 



