Foot care for the troops?

[2ndNHDOC]

I posted this on the CW Reenactors forum under the medical forum but figured I would bring the discussion here for general thought.

After my treadmill workout today I noticed a good size blister on my instep when I took off my shoes and socks. While attending to the nefarious little bugger I got to thinking about how much of a nightmare footcare must have been for the troops especially early in their careers. Does anyone have any good articles on the subject. I will be doing some web searching but any help would be a beneift.

[Jon The Beloved]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

I bet they got so many blisters and had so much wear'n'tear on their feet, I bet the had a wicked callous going! But yes.. I to am interested in some deep research and accounts..

Also winter season footcare would be of interest to us as well.

[markj]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

Period advice frequently dispensed was to rub (i.e., lubricate) your feet (and even the insides of your socks) with tallow, oil, fat, or even soap. Needless to say, this could get a little messy (or even smelly), but it works.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[lambrew]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

I have been looking into this subject as well. Were there padded inserts? Forgive me if this has been disscused before. Suffice it to say I have not found the answer here or else where.

Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

I have seen advice to stuff loose raw wool into the soles of boots, but for the life of me I can't recall where that was--I THINK it was an Intel letter to the editor early in the war. If I can document that, it would make sense. (Wool "in the grease" is full of lanolin.)

[2ndNHDOC]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

Trench foot as it later would be called must have reared its' ugly head I would imagine. When I gett home tonight I will consult my books to see about things like that.

[tenfed1861]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

I read somewhere in "The Confederate Housewife",there is an article about how to deal with blisters.Take a sterill (modern talking here) needle with wool thread looped on it.Peirce the blister(s) with the needle,having go compleately through.Afterwerds,pull the needle.The wool will wick out the pus,leaving the skin to form a callous.
In the 25th September 1861 issue of Edgefield Advertiser,there is a simple recipe for a foot salve:take equal parts gum camphor,olive oil,and beeswax,heat up and mix together.At night,wash your feet,rub the salve on,put on clean socks,then go to sleep.In morning,they should be ready for marching.
Hope this helps.

[Daniel]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

I read somewhere that Gen. Patrick Cleburne ordered that his soldier's wash their feet daily. Apparently that was a practice in the British army that he served in. Sorry for the lack of documentation on this.

Dan Stewart

[2ndNHDOC]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

Dan

Well remember that there was a christian thing about washing the feet in the bible. It appears it was an acient custom to wash the visitors after a journey. My bet is this is the result of people walking long distances and having their feet treated after the journey.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

I read somewhere in "The Confederate Housewife",there is an article about how to deal with blisters.Take a sterill (modern talking here) needle with wool thread looped on it.Peirce the blister(s) with the needle,having go compleately through.Afterwerds,pull the needle.The wool will wick out the pus,leaving the skin to form a callous.

If we're talking about a period description, well, medical inaccuracies don't really matter. But adding in the modern admonition to use a sterile needle spurs me to add: it's not pus in a normal fluid-filled blister. It's not infection causing the fluid, though of course once the skin overtop is pierced, there's more chance of bacteria entering and pus forming.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

The best treatment/prevention, then/now is AIR. Spent 13 years in the Infantry. Air your feet out every chance you get, air your socks out. Always have a pair of socks tied to your gear while marching, allowing that pair to dry, take off your wet ones and put your dry ones. I am sure this is not period thinking, but "Infantry Thinking".

[unclefrank]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

I echo Dale's advice. Nothing is worse for your feet than for them to be exposed to prolonged periods in wet socks. ALWAYS keep a dry pair where you can get at them, and put the wet ones close to your skin to dry them out.

[2ndNHDOC]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

after reading reports from WWI I was amazed at the numbers of deaths as a result of trenchfoot. It seems to me with the understanding they had about infections they should have been able to prevent it. Granted they were still away from the good stuff to cure it but they should have tried to do something to stop it.

[hta1970]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

Well since primary source examples have been quite lacking, and none from any medical sources, in a forum where primary sources are greatly desired I will provide two examples written by medical officers, both Confederate. I trust someone portraying a federal surgeon will have in his collection of period manuals and texts something which he can offer the forum from the federal perspective.

From "The Southern Soldiers Health Guide," by John Stainback Wilson M.D., A. A. Surgeon PACS, Richmond 1863:

Care of the feet - Blistered feet should be bathed in cold water, and then a plaster made of hog's lard, worked up with a finely-powdered chalk or flour, should be applied. It is said that rubbing soap into the socks will prevent blistering. Corns should be well soaked in warm water, closely trimmed, and then one or two wafers should be placed on them The feet should be bathed every morning in cold water to harden the skin, allay and prevent irritation, and guard against cold. A cold foot bath every morning is the best of all remidies for cold feet, and is the best preventative of "colds" and internal congestions.

From "A Manual for Military Surgery, " by Julian J. Chisolm M.D., Surgeon CS Army, 3rd Edition, Columbia 1864

During the mid-day rest, if any opportunity exists, the shoes and stockings should be removed and the feet bathed, which, by removing dirt and acid secretions, will prevent excoriations. It may also be advantageous, at such times, to change the socks from one foot to the other, so the seams may come at different portions of the foot, which will prebvent continued and injurious pressure. Soaping the sock will also prevent excoriations, and add much to the comfort of a soldier while on the march.

I found no mention of the topic in the first edition of Chisolm which was published in 1861.

As with many subjects, you will need to go beyond the keyboard to find the answers and delve into the original text.

[jake.koch]

Re: Foot care for the troops?

When mentioning soaping the socks, do you do this to the inside of the socks that touch your feet, or to the outside of the socks to prevent friction against shoe leather. I've got nasty blisters ever since high school football, there is nothing more miserable then marching in period shoes with torn up feet. Any info to prevent this in the future would leave me in somebody's debt.