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56
worn for two winter seasons running and may well be as
much as one to two sizes too small during the second season,
These well shaped shoes are expensive and the uppers
are made of durable leather which tempts the parent into
their continued use. Children of this age do not complain
that their shoes feel tight, their toes just bend up
inside the shoe. Best shoes cause similar foot defects
again due to the fact that by the time they come into
general use they are probably six months old and the
foot has outgrown them. One pair of shoes bought at one
time to be worn every day including Sundays and replaced
in three to four months is the policy stressed in the
foot clinics.
Over twelve years of age there are many girls who
wear badly shaped shoes with the so called fashionable
pointed toe. These shoes by their inherent shape encour
age the toes to be squashed together and certainly pro
mote any slight bending of the big toe into a bunion. It
is stressed in the foot clinics that until the foot has
at least stopped growing the shape of the shoe should
correspond to the shape of the natural foot-
The search for foot infection has continued and every
term all junior and senior school children had their feet
inspected for verrucae and tinea. The incidence of ver
rucae in these schools has averaged 1 % in the Spring
and Summer terms and 1 6% in the Autumn term. The senior
schools continue to show the highest incidence one Senior
Modern Boys School having an incidence of 4 4% in one
term. So far the regular once a term search for verrucae
has not dramatically reduced the rate of infection though
when found the verrucae are usually small and respond
quickly to the treatment. The children thus suffer the
minimal disability and lose very little time from school.