majority will not allow them to do so. For my own part I think that grace of bearing, comfort, and health are preferable to fashion in boots; but I must warn those who very rightly make up their minds to take this view of the question, and make the change from irrational to rational foot-gear, that they must not be discouraged if they feel some discomfort at first in consequence of the change.
When the position of the bones is altered as I have shown it to be by high heels, the action of the tendons and muscles in connection with these bones is also changed, so that those accustomed to wear high heels feel discomfort and sometimes even severe pain if they have to walk barefoot or with low heels; for the muscles connected with the sole which form the Achilles tendon suffer under the unaccustomed stretching. The discomfort, however, will rapidly disappear if rational foot-gear is worn for a time, as the muscles will regain their natural and proper action. Raising the heels diminishes the leverage by which the balance of the body is maintained, and the higher the heels the greater is the risk of falls and sprains, and the greater the distortion of the foot.
In natural walking the heel first touches the ground, and although it has even quite recently been maintained by Mr. Ellis3[1] and others that the toes are first to come in contact with the ground, the truth of the reverse is conclusively proved by photography. In instantaneous views where foot passengers are, so to speak, arrested in the various
- ↑ 3 Lancet, June 21st, 1884.
