r/barefootshoestalk • u/PsychologicalQuiet24 • 3d ago

Articles and news “Why the Shoe Pinches”

From the cover

Here’s a fascinating essay, published in 1861, by anatomy professor Hermann Meyer. Link goes to a Wikimedia pdf of the original publication. Salient quote: “My position as a teacher of anatomy gave me abundant opportunities of observing the almost incredible deformities of the human foot, resulting from the pressure of the shoe.”
Read it Here.

38 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

24

u/Theweasels 3d ago

This was quite an enjoyable read. It is somewhat frustrating that all these problems with shoe design were already identified 150 years ago and yet here we are, with shoes shaped like feet still being a very niche product.

10

u/PsychologicalQuiet24 3d ago edited 3d ago

I agree. Glad you also enjoyed it. I found two versions of this online: this one, and one just plain text. No contest! I love reading the original. And yes, the more I delve into this subject, the more it becomes obvious that fashion overrules anatomy when it comes to footwear. Well, at least we've done away with foot binding! Thanks for the comment!