ILL FITTING SHOES

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20920, 27 September 1939, Page 3

ILL FITTING SHOES

VANITY AND HIGH HEELS Fashionable women who exclaim “Oh, my poor feet” have only their vanity and their high heels to blame. So a medical officer and a foot surgeon told the conference of the Institute of Public Health and Hygiene at Hastings, states an English writer. Dr D. M. Connan, medical officer for Bermondsey, who said there were 14,000 attendences at Bermondsey foot clinic last year, declared:— “All women are vain. They are born vain and they die vain. I have always thought that was the main reason of so much foot trouble in Bermondsey. Women’s shoes are almost always ill-fitting.” Mr W. Sayle Creer, who is in charge of the orthopaedic department of Salford Royal Infirmary, said that for every man or boy with a deformed foot there were 15 women and girls whose feet were abnormal. In many women’s cases high heels were to blame. Heels should not be more than an inch and a-half high, and women should be able to “wiggle” their toes in their shoes. Corns were often due to vanity.

The medical profession has constantly emphasised that sun-bathing, rashly undertaken, can have serious effects on health A coarsened skin as the result of scorching, brittle hair and nails, and lines about the eyes have been some of the outward and visible signs of the inward harm done. But over-indulgence in sunbathing has now been pronounced to have a definitely ageing effect Children instinctively protect themselves against the rigours of summer. They delight in freedom, in the minimum of clothes, and in light and air. But they will always make for shade in the hottest part of the day. In this they show unerring good sense. Adults, on the other hand, in search of a fashionable sun-tan will submit themselves, with enthusiasm, to a baking process or else to one in which they fry themselves in oil. It is no exaggeration to say that such treatment can, in one season, age the texture of the skin by years. In fair types severe burns may occur and a poisonous reaction be set up. The body’s attempt to adapt itself suddenly to such changed conditions will cause a feeling of lassitude which can spoil a holiday. Sun Bath in Morning It is necessary to become accustomed to the sun very gradually. For safety’s sake and for the sake of good looks, take the precaution of sunbathing in the early morning and in the early evening. Avoid the heat of the noonday sun. Exposure should be from the feet upward, increasing the length of time and the amount of the body exposed by very slow degrees. Dark-hairecl people with warm olive colouring will be happiest in the sunshine. Their pigmentation

The majority of men attending clinics had well-shaped feet, but women’s feet were generally misshapen. Foot disabilities were causing suffering and loss to millions in Britain. "I had corns when a medical student. I cured them not by going to a chiropodist, but by getting larger shoes,” said Mr Creer. "We can safely say of people with normal feet that if they have corns it is due to their vanity and the desire to wear smaller and smart shoes.

“A good foot clinic could be used to educate people to this simple but unpalatable fact. There is a need for medically supervised foot clinics. "It is regrettable that very few hospitals have a chiropodist,” said Mr Creer.

will adapt itself rapidly and they will develop a delightful nut-brown complexion while fairer people are still in the “lobster” stage. They can insure against any drying effects by the use of a special oil. This is made in a honey shade for the first days and in a much deeper tint for when the skin is ready for it. This oil prevents parching and keeps the skin supple. It makes an admirable foundation for make-up. But no more than the skin can absorb should be applied. There should be no surplus of this or any other oil. Use Correct Protection The girl with a cooler colouring, the fair-haired, fair-skinned type, is inclined to go through a dreary brick-red stage before reaching the attractive golden tan which is her aim. A sunproof cream overcomes this difficulty and, if used thickly, will keep her skin white throughout the summer. If it is applied lightly it allows a light tan. This cream is not sticky and it, too, makes a good powder foundation. It is useful for children, and indeed for all, men and women alike, who are apt to burn quickly. The red and auburn-haired woman with her particularly fine skin would be wise to avoid sun-bathing altogether. Her skin is too thin and sensitive and severe burns and a crop of freckles are the price to be paid for any attempt at tanning. For this type there is a lotion which is fortunately waterproof in addition to its soothing virtues. Its complete protection is therefore available even when swimming. If freckles have already developed it is wise to hide them under a tan make-up, for any bleach strong enough to remove them would be dangerous to use.