Whereas the hands are kept covered only exceptionally, the constant covering of the feet during the day is customary. The clothing of the feet is intended for a twofold purpose. It should prevent the pronounced loss of warmth which arises when the foot touches the cold earth ; and it should protect the foot from injuries, wet, and dirt, and impart to it a certain firmness. Stockings protect the feet against overheating, and form a kind of yielding bolster during walking. As shoes and stockings together are only slightly porous, diminution of evaporation occurs, and in consequence there is usually excessive sweating. In cases of insufficient cleanliness the latter, together with the cast-off particles of the skin, decomposes, and givoS rise to the notorious disagreeable odour of perspiring feet. This abnormal sweat formation occurs to a very annoying degree in some persons who appear to by predisposed in this direction. This affection can best be prevented by scrupulous cleanliness (daily foot-baths) and by the wearing of porous, absorbent stockings. At the same time it is advisable to wear perforated shoes or sandals whenever possible ; for instance, at home. More marked sweating of the feet requires treatment by a physician. Rubber shoes, which still more restrict the evaporation of the covered foot, should be worn only temporarily, and should always be taken off as soon as possible.
As to the form of the shoes, it is a well-known fact that for the most part they do not correspond to the shape of the feet, therefore they press the latter into constrained positions which may lead to deformities (dis placement of the big toe toward the side of the small toe ; see Fig. 107) and to a number of troublesome conditions (corns, ingrowing nails, etc.). The sole is shaped correctly only when a line which passes through the middle of the big toe, running parallel with the latter, strikes the middle of the heel. The uppers also must be worked highest in the course of this line, and the forepart of the shoe must adapt itself to the form of the toes. However, as most " hygienically constructed " shoes present a very clumsy appearance, there is very little prospect of their becoming generally adopted. The problem of making hygienic shoes of becoming appearance has, however, been fairly well solved by the shoemaker. Laced shoes are preferable to those with elastic sides, as the latter may impair the circulation of the blood. The heels should not be too high.
If the male dress is not fully in keeping with the requirements of hygiene, this, as is well known, is still much more the case with the female dress. That part of the female dress which has ever given rise to criticism on the part of the medical profession is the corset. It is claimed that Queen Elizabeth invented it to cover the deficiencies of her figure. In other respects, the principal effect of the corset is obviously to cause the female sexual characteristics to become more conspicuous. The history of the corset is a
classical example showing what fashion is able to do, and how unrelentingly it can enslave its followers, especially the female sex. It is very remarkable that to a great number of women the most conspicuous and most variegated costumes are not obnoxious, whereas another pattern of dress, which is not in style but more sanitary, is detested by them as disagreeably osten tatious. And finally, the excuse is always given : " What has done no harm to our mothers, will not prove injurious to us either ; hence, let us continue the old habits." This view can be explained only by the fact that but a very small number of women have even the slightest idea of anatomical conditions, and are in no way aware how they injure the organs of their body. As custom renders everything bearable, it is probable that the originally annoying pressure of the corset is no longer, or only occasionally, felt.
Tight lacing exerts a manifold, harmful influence upon the female body. The lower part of the bony thorax is compressed (see Fig. 33) ; and the muscles of the back and of the belly are squeezed and thereby weakened. The internal organs naturally also give way to the pressure, and try to find another place. The liver, stomach, and intestines are pressed downward ; the activity of the diaphragm, so important to respiration, is restricted ; and the lower parts of the lungs are prevented from proper expansion. This general constriction causes, further, an impairment of the large blood vessels which maintain the circulation between the upper and lower halves of the body. In short, not only the most vital function, that of respiration, is disturbed, but also the circulation of the blood and the digestive functions are interfered with. In addition, the forcing downward of the intestine is very liable to cause displacements, inflections, and dragging of the internal female genital organs. A host of affections of girls and women owe their existence directly or indirectly to tight lacing.
Especially marked, and conspicuous even to the eye of the layman, is the influence of tight lacing upon the liver. As every physician has had opportunities to observe at autopsies, the liver of a female corpse often shows an indentation in the region of the waist (tight-lace liver). Still more, tight lacing may even give rise to almost complete separation of some of the lower portions of the liver. It is obvious also that the gall-bladder, which is situated behind the lower border of the liver, frequently suffers by pressure, which favours the formation of gall-stones. Since it is certain that there is often a causal connection between gall-stones and the development of cancerous tumours of the liver, and since the latter diseases occur relatively much oftener in women than in men, it is undoubtedly permissible in many cases to ascribe the fault to the corset.