HOME HEALTH GUIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 October 1943, Page 5

HOME HEALTH GUIDE

HEALTHY FOOTWEAR ESSENTIAL HOW TO AVOID MALFORMATIONS (By the Department of Health The importance of seeing that the children get proper footwear is too often overlooked by parents, not for any particular reason, but simply through thoughtlessness and possibly lack of knowledge of the after-effect. How many children have their toes crushed into mis-shapen positions because they have been given footwear that has been too narrow or too short. In the perfect foot, the natural foot, the great toe should be in a straight line with the inside edge of the foot, and the other toes should be straight and evenly spaced. Footwear, therefore, should have this straight inside line, it should be wide at the toes, and should be a little longer than the foot. If that simple suggestion is followed, a lot of painful foot troubles and unnecessary malformations in the future are going to be prevented. Prevention is much easier than correction.

When purchasing footwear, place the article alongside the child's foot, compare the shape, and refuse a shoe or a boot that docs not conform to the shape of the foot. The footwear should fit the feet; the feet should not be compelled to fit the footwear. Properly fitting shoes . should not have to be broken in. They should be comfortable right from the start. That’s the test.

Socks or stockings that have shrunk until they are too short or too tight are also a possible source of deformed feet, and properly fitting garments should be insisted on.