Such cases
appear to be quite common in China, and by investigation many
parallels could elsewhere be found.
The Chinese custom of foot-binding is a curious instance of
self-mutilation. In a paper quoted in the Philadelphia Medical
Times, January 31, 1880, a most minute account of the modus
operandi, the duration, and the suffering attendant on this
process are given. Strapping of the foot by means of tight
bandages requires a period of two or three years' continuance
before the desired effect is produced. There is a varying degree
of pain, which is most severe during the first year and gradually
diminishes after the binding of all the joints is completed.
During the binding the girl at night lies across the bed, putting
her legs on the edge of the bed-stead in such a manner as to make
pressure under the knees, thus benumbing the parts below and
avoiding the major degree of pain. In this position, swinging
their legs backward and forward, the poor Chinese girls pass many
a weary night. During this period the feet are unbound once a
month only. The operation is begun by placing the end of a long,
narrow bandage on the inside of the instep and carrying it over
the four smaller toes, securing them under the foot.
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