Manual of British Rural Sports

454 GEKERAL TRAINING OF MAN". relief, and enable a man with extensive "raws" to row in tolerable ease and com­ fort ; they require, however, to be carefully cleaned and oiled each time they are worn, without which attention they are worse than useless. 304. C OKNS AND B UNIONS .—Blistersare troublesome enough to thepedestrian, but corns are a thousand times worse. The former are only temporary evils, whilst the latter are a perpetual source of dis omfort and misery. Corns are of two kinds, hard and soft;and this distinction is not only dependent upon situation, as some people imagine, for the essence and even the cause of a soft corn are entirely different and distinct from those producing the hard variety. The soft com occurs only between the toes, and partakes more of a warty character than of that of the true com. There is really a growth of the cutis or true skin, which shoots up some little sprouts covered with a cheesy matter, and these become exquisitely painful if pressed upon by tiie adjoining toe. On the other hand, the true or hard corn is simply an effort of nature to protect a part unduly pressed upon; but the effortis carried to an inordinate extent. It isan oversecre­ tion or formation of cuticle, which, as it becomes thicker and harder, is again pressed into the inflamed cutis by the shoe, and thus, by acting as a foreign body, aggravates the mischief, and causes it also to react on itself, by increasingthe already inordinate secretion of cuticle. Thus these causes act and react on each other, till you often find a deep process or processes of hardened cuticle driven into the skin, and which are often called by thecorn-cutter the root or roots of the corn. But it must be understood that these do not grow first, but are the last re ults of a very obstinate and long-standing mischief. In allcases the corn, first of all, has no root whatever; its growth is not from within outwards, but from without inwards, and the term "root" therefore is misapplied. Many tricks are passed off upon the credulous patients of the corn-cutter, by passing off pieces of quill, or nail, or horn, as extracted from the corn,and oftena fee is charged for each root removed. I haveknown 36 guineas charged for as many "roots," extracted at onesitting, and paid, too, for an operation whichhas afforded only pre­ sent relief.Bunions are different in appear­ ance and character from either hard or soft corns; they are frequently caused by pressure, but in themthe skin is not the seat of the inflammation, but the synovial bag on the innerside of the ball of the great toe, orsometimes on the outerside of the middle of the foot, or on the instep. In all cases they are soft, pulpy, bag-hke projections, often, though not always, witho t hardness or roughness of skin. They are attended with great pain and tenderness, and cause considerable lame­ ness. The treatmentof soft corns should be as followsWith the nailpick oil as much of the cheesy matter as can be removed; then, if the next day can be given up, apply a piece of lunar caustic to the sur­ face, rubbing it pretty well in, but avoiding contact with the adjoining skin. Alter this, keep a piece of carded cotton between the toes night and day, and it will be found that after twenty-four hours' est all pain will have disappeared, the surface will h its moisture, and will have become hard, black, and dry. If the cotton is renewed daily thistate of ease willbe maintained for a week or ten days; but then it 13 necessary to pick off the blackened gurfaco and re-apply the caustic,again using tho carded cotton.This second application will probably last a fortnight, but by that time the edges of the blackenedcuticle become loose, and tho application sliould be re­ peated; but not, in all probability, ttU three weeks have elapsed. In this way, by three or four applications, the most obsti­ nate and painful soft corns yield to treat­ ment, and become p rmanently cured; bu the skinbetween the toes should be kqt constantly washed and rubbedwith a soit towel, so as to remove every particle o. secretion daily.With regard to hard cor nothing will be effectual as a cure unless the pressure which caused them is discon­ tinued. In that case they require very "little treatment; but if it is continued, must be when they occur on the sol foot, theonly remedies are ' require constant and careful repe • Corn-cutters are constantly holding j certain hopes of a cure, but this is a ^ ^ upon the unwary, and only Iea< ^ . e picking of their pockets. It is I 11 "® that a skilful corn-cutter wil renio without pain, every vestige of a fl'.y, will give instant and entire relie , only lastsfor a fortnight or three ;ee» tiie time varying according to the • P ^ of growth in each particular ense- - • one, however, who has the use of may readily treat his own corns, ^^ attend to the following direction i• w first place, the cuticle * h ° u d M to allowed to grow to such a dep ro _ occasion pain; it should bo • ' ^ moved before that time and tne of instrument for its removal » "A. oftM nail-scissors; with these asmallp holdc f thickened cuticle should be and raised from its bed at ^ jt u then gradually closing the