Dear Sir, - In answer to "Big Boot" and "Legiron," may I describe and illustrate some surgical boots and leg-irons, with apologies for bad drawings in advance?
No. 1 is a type of high boot now not often seen, fitted with ankle-supporting toe-elevating irons. The height is obtained by means of a steel stand under the sole of the boot. The irons fit into sockets at each side of the heel and are jointed at the ankle, being strapped to the leg there and running up to the padded strap under the wearer's knee. The ankle is supported by a strap which is fastened to the side of the boot under the instep and is buckled round the iron on the far side, enveloping the ankle. The toe is elevated by means of springs attached to the irons above the ankle and running to ankle pieces on the irons above the ankle and running to angle pieces on the irons below the joints. Such irons are generally used in cases of paralysis.
No. 2 is a plain ankle-supporting iron and a high boot suitable for a withered leg. The corset round the wearer's calf is a particularly strengthening feature.
No. 3 is rather similar to No. 1 but toe elevation is obtained by means of an elevator strap of rubber or leather. The boot has a high sole of cork and is suitable for a paralysed leg of a more severe type. It is fitted with a knee-brace at the top.
No. 4 is a neat boot for a club foot, and the picture is self-explanatory.
No. 5 is a remarkable boot I recently saw on a fashionably dressed and attractive girl. It was fitted with unjointed irons, ankle support strap, and toe and heel suspenders, so that her foot was held absolutely rigid. The heel was quite 6 inches high, and she wore a shoe with a high heel on her other leg. The effect was most attractive.
No. 6 is a treatment boot designed for use in cases where the wearer is not allowed to put weight on the foot. A tight strapped corset round the wearer's calf and a tight kneecap take the entire weight, the irons curving away at each side of the foot and joining to form a sort of peg-leg under it. On the other foot the wearer has a high soled boot to compensate for the height added by the appliance. Crutches are sometimes necessary to assist the crippled leg until the wearer is used to this painful method of carrying the weight, but can be discarded after a few months.
No. 7 is a boot for that rare deformity known as "swan-neck foot." The foot is permanently turned back into a position in which it is quite useless. Frequently an operation can be performed to rectify the matter, but when this is not possible the only solution is to fit the foot with a boot and irons arranged so that the patient's weight can be carried on a platform under the front of the foot. The illustration shows how it can be done.
No. 8 is a particularly attractive high boot for cases of extreme shortening.
I apologise for the length of this, but if others would like it I write further descriptions of crippled girls with whom I am constantly in contact.
Yours truly,
Cripplegate.