borrows of Dr. Craig some of the woodcuts that
Dr. Craig borrowed of Dr. Meyer, showing what
ought to be the true form of a boot-sole. And Dr.
Humphry wishes to send all his readers, as we
wish to send ours, to the sixpenny translation
we have named, for by the doctrines hereof it
is worth every man's while to bind his
shoemaker.

Even shoemakers, however are among the
leaders of the new reform. Another little book,
recently published, is one entitled The Foot and
its Covering, in which Mr. James Dowie, who
was apprenticed to shoemaking six-and-forty
years ago and who lias endeavoured to introduce
rational principles into his trade, sets out
with a translation of Camper's treatise on the
Correct Form of Shoe, and goes on with a
treatise of his own, less clear and neat in its
definitions than that of Professor Meyer, but in
the main arguing to the same conclusion. We
shall now endeavour to inculcate a proper
understanding of Professor Meyer's principle of
shoe form.

The thigh bone, the longest bone in the body,
carries the weight of the trunk to the knee.
At the knee joint this is transferred to two
bones that descend to the ankle. One of these,
much larger than the other, bears the chief
weight, and forms with its lower end the inner
ankle, besides having its front edge or chine
(which we corrupt into shin) close under the
shin, of the right form for cleaving a way with
least trouble through air, water, grass, or underwood.
The other leg-bone gives a hold to
muscles that work the machinery of leg and
foot, and, forming with its end the outer ankle,
strengthens the ankle joints. These leg or shank
bones are, in giants, disproportionately long. The
weight transmitted by them falls on the uppermost
set of seven bones forming the back
part of the foot and the heel. There are no
less than twenty-six bones in the foot, to ensure
elasticity, variety, and precision of movement,
and, by help of the elastic cartilages set between
them, breaking the jar to the whole frame that
would result— to say nothing of the chance of
fracture to itself— if it were upon one solid bone
that we came down in our running and leaping,
and could account it a safe thing to "fall on
our feet." The six-and-twenty bones of the
foot are thus divided. A group of seven (tarsal),
which are short and thick, forming the hinder
part of the instep; five long bones (metatarsal)
connecting these with the five toes; fourteen
bones of the toes, called phalanges, because they
are arranged like soldiers in phalanxes— three
deep on the four little toes, making twelve—
with two for the great toe, making in all fourteen.
The seven bones behind the instep through
which the weight of the body passes from the
shank bones to the ground, are thus arranged.
A pretty large one at the top, the middle bone
of the instep, is joined with the two leg bones.
It rests chiefly upon the heel bone, which is the
largest bone of the foot; but its front part
presses on a little bone (said to be like a boat)
interposed between it and the three wedge bones,
from which runs the three long bones
(metatarsal) that connect the back of the foot with
the great toe, and the two toes next to it. The
other two bones, that connect the back of the
foot with the little toe and its neighbour, run
from a cuboid bone that completes the strength
of the arch of the instep, and has no less than
six bones, but especially the front part of the
heel bone, in connexion with it.

If we cut the bones of the human foot through
with a saw from tip of heel to tip of toe, we see
how they not only form an arch, the arch of the
sole, but how even the fibre of which the bones
are made, run in each bone with distinct
reference to its position, in the arch it is to strengthen.
At the back, this arch springs from the solid heel
bone: a comparatively upright pillar with nothing
but the one upper bone of the instep between it
and the weight of the body. Therefore, if a man
in jumping falls upon his heels, the jar is
considerable. He may feel the vibrations in his
brains, and might even cause a distinct hurt to
the hip, knee, or some other joint of the body.
But the fore pillar of the arch is longer, broader,
slopes more gradually to the ground, and is
composed of several bones jointed together.
For this reason, the jumper or the runner down
stairs chooses to alight on the balls of his toes.
It is true, that in walking, the heel first touches
the ground; but when it does so, the weight of
the body is supported partly by the fore-part of
the other foot, and the weight falls aslant on
the heel in such a way as bring the toes of that
foot also very quickly to the ground.

Between the bones building this arch, is an
elastic gristle for its mortar, and there are also
ties, especially two ligaments answering the
purpose of the " tie beam" of a roof to prevent
the arch from being crushed flat by the pressure
from above. One of these ties runs high up
within the arch of the sole, joining the top of the
heel bone to the first bone of the fore pillar; the
key bone as it were, the upper bone to which
the weight of the body descends from the leg
lying between them, and in part supported by
this elastic ligament. The other tie is at the
base of the arch, between the bottom of the heel
bone and balls of the toes. The overstraining
of either of these ligaments, especially of the
upper one, causes the arch to sink, and we then
have weak ankle or flat foot, with some difficulty
raising the heel so as to mount well on the
balls of the toes.

Flat foot can be produced in infancy when
children are induced to walk before the bones
and ligaments are strong enough to bear the
weight of the body. Parents should never be
in a hurry to set children on their legs, but let
them roll and kick until they walk of their own
will. Again, at at the age of about fourteen, when
the body is increasing rapidly in size and weight,
weakness will often show itself bya yeilding of
the arch of the foot sole, when pressure on the
foot, as in the case of errand-boys or young
nurserymaids, is too great or too long
continued. It is common among our farm labourers,
who strangle all the movements of the feet