McComber's tracks for 1883. : Comprising descriptions of McComber's institution for the radical cure of foot distortions by conservative surgery, and also of McComber's fashionable army and navy shoes for ladies and gentlemen.

  • McComber, Joel
Date:
1882
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: McComber's tracks for 1883. : Comprising descriptions of McComber's institution for the radical cure of foot distortions by conservative surgery, and also of McComber's fashionable army and navy shoes for ladies and gentlemen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the blood is permitted to flow unimpeded through the congested tissues^ and life is temporarily restored. But for this the feet would decay, the toes would speedil}^ rot off; and for this destruction only the ignorant shoe-maker and those who stupidly employ him are to blame. This terrible, uniyersal, toe-paralysis of which I haye spoken, is no more necessary to ciyilized humanity than would be paralysis of the fingers. The struc¬ tures are much alike, and one should he as enduring, as permanently useful, as the other. The joints of the toes of ciyilized man, being sustained only by wasted and powerless ^ muscles, readily bend backward, as they should not do (any more than in the fingers), when the weight of the body is put upon them. The toes, haying lost their muscular power, are like a jack-knife Ijlade haying no hack-spring; they are powerless in tbem- selyes, but may be moyed about in any direc¬ tion by external force. The muscles haying been weakened by bad shoes, haye no power either to moye and control the joints or to hold them in natural position. In perfect and unimpaired yigor, all the toes are powerful, and may be depended upon to sustain the bodily weight. Wlien destroyed in function, as I haye described, they are as useless as rags. With such toes, a beautiful, graceful gait is impossible. A scpiare heel and toe walk is not possible to our adults. In this natural style of walking, common to un- ciyilized man but unknown in anytliing like perfection among us, the heel first touches