Practical Podiatry

Practical Podiatry is a pioneering medical handbook that treats foot care as a serious science, not a trade. Edited by Maurice J. Lewi, M.D., it combines the history of the profession with the clinical knowledge needed by practitioners and students, tracing how neglected foot ailments gave rise to a disciplined field built on training, ethics, and research. The book follows podiatry's rise from local chiropody efforts in New York to a nationally organized profession, recounting the founding of journals, schools, associations, and state societies across the country and abroad. It highlights the legislation, reform movements, and determined leaders who won legitimacy in places such as California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Alongside this professional history, the text turns to the science of foot care, beginning with the anatomy of the skin and moving into practical treatment of ingrown nails. Detailed, methodical, and firmly clinical, it offers preventive techniques, chemical treatments, and careful aftercare to support healing, reduce recurrence, and avoid the common mistakes that can make foot problems worse. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.