however, did not seem to lessen the pain. After an ordinary day's
occupation, she could not even walk across the floor at dinner-time. A
walk of two blocks would incapacitate her for many days. She was
convinced that her feet could never be cured and came to me only on
account of nervous trouble. On the day of her arrival she flung
herself down on the couch, saying that she would like to go away from
everybody, where the children would never bother her again. She was
sure nobody loved her and she wanted to die. Within three weeks, in
ordinary shoes, this woman tramped nine miles up Mount Wilson and the
next day tramped down again. Her attitude had changed from that of
irritable fretfulness to one of buoyant joy, and with the moral change
had come new strength in the muscles. The death of her husband has
since made it necessary for her to support the family, and she is now
on her feet from eight to fourteen hours a day, a constant source of
inspiration to all about her, and no more weary than the average
person.

Flabbiness in the muscles often causes this trouble with the feet.
"The arches of the foot are maintained by ligaments between the bones,
supported by muscle tendons which prevent undue stretching of the
ligaments and are a protection against flat-foot."[31] Muscle tissue
has an abundant blood supply, while ligaments have very little and
soon lose their resiliency if unsupported. Any lack of tone in the
calf-muscles throws the weight on the less resistant ligaments and on
the cartilages placed as cushions between the bony structures of the
arch. This is what causes the pain.[32]

[Footnote 31: Grey's Anatomy--"The Articulations."]

[Footnote 32: Actual loss of the arch by downward displacement of the