_Bunions_, we believe, are never found except upon the joint of the great toe, and the projection of this joint, from the wearing of short and narrow-toed shoes, can not be otherwise than strongly influential in producing them. From wearing foot-coverings of this fashion, which is almost the only kind we have at present, there is the constant tendency of the joint to enlarge, widen, and project. This increases its pressure against the leather, and may even create a pressure where there was none at the time the boot was first worn. It is not strange, therefore, that bunions make their appearance under such circumstances. Thus it is seen that, setting aside the habit of wearing boots that are tight enough to pinch the foot, there is already found an abundant cause for corns. It ought to be sufficiently obvious that the principal characteristics of the present foot-covering—the narrow toes, being often short besides, and the high heels—are corn-producing in all their tendencies. If to these is added the practice, as with many persons, of wearing boots and shoes that are too tight for comfort, and often too narrow on the sole, there is ample reason for the fact that corned feet are numerous. We do not know what first induced people to wear boots unnecessarily tight, unless it was the Chinese idea of taste, which desired to prevent the full development of the feet, or make them appear as small as possible. If this be still the motive, it is only necessary to repeat that a true taste demands that a foot be of a size proportionate to the size of the whole body, whether that be large or small. If it is to make the boot fit more smoothly and handsomely, then the object is more often defeated than accomplished. A boot that is too tight—tight enough to be uncomfortable—is not the boot that best fits the foot. It will have as many wrinkles in it as a loose one, and even more, if the leather be thin, while the foot can not go into it naturally. The best fitting boot or shoe is one made of the right shape to adapt it to the particular foot; which is just snug enough to confine it without any uneasy feeling; and into which it goes easily and naturally to its proper position. There is sufficient length to allow the toe to move without pressure on the nail, and sufficient width to let the toes lie side by side, in which position they appear much better than when piled one over another. There are no wrinkles made by loose leather—none by over-tightness. The room is entirely filled, while at the same time the foot is easy, and can make its natural movements in walking with ease and grace; which it can not do when squeezed into a boot that is too tight. A person wearing a tight boot has a stiff and unnatural walk, which can not be compensated by any beauty of the fit so gained, provided it _is_ gained. There are only the soft and fleshy feet that can bear compression with any benefit to their appearance, and with these