Jottings of an Old Chiro

The author of this column, was one of the founders of the Society – Ernest George Virgo Runting (1861-1954), pictured left. He was born in London and was the son of William Runting (a dentist) and Fanny Maria Potter, a chiropodist who regularly treated the Royal Family. At fifteen, Runting was apprenticed as a naval cadet, serving for five years.  On the death of his father, in 1881, his mother bought him out of the service and trained him in chiropody.

In 1884, Runting set up his first practice in South Kensington but harboured ambitions to elevate chiropody into a respected profession in line with developments in the United States. Together with a former patient (Dr Arnold Whitaker Oxford), Runting formed the National Society of Chiropodists in 1912. Further plans saw the Silver Street Pedic Clinic opened in 1913 with clinical training established. 

Old Chiro’s first column was short, and concerned padding of the foot as well as the history of footwear. Then quickly, the columns became more fulsome and full of anecdotes, quotes with a general ‘chatty’ feel to them. The topics discussed were not chiropodial in nature.

However, this changed in the later years as the feature became more clinical. There were also included Runting’s own illustrations of equipment and procedures. Throughout it all, Runting was keen to frame his advice in the guise of an elder statesman passing his wisdom to up and coming chiropodists.

A prime example of this was published in the November 1928 edition:

Below are some further examples of the column under various headings:

Anecdotes, quotes and poems

June 1916 edition: a sexton with bony experience:

I am sure our clinicians will pardon my passing on a little anecdote with which they are familiar. A private, one of the regimental candidates, under instructions for Battalion Chiropody, was told in an introductory chat, something of the formation of the foot - bones cartilage, muscles etc. This elicited from him the somewhat emphatic remark, "Oh! I know something about the bone. I was a sexton."

Upon the suggestion that burying coffins would not necessarily convey knowledge of bone, he replied, "You forget we have to dig them up and when they were stored for re-burial, I used to take the opportunity of studying them."

April 1926 edition: wart-eating grasshoppers:

August 1928 edition: knowing your limitations:

August 1931 edition: a corny epitaph:

September 1931 edition: famous fellows:

December 1932 edition: Duke of Wellington's Corns:

March 1934 edition: an odd tie pin:

July 1939 edition: how the Society name came about:

Jottings of an Old Chiro - Part 2

In Part 2 of Jottings of an Old Chiro, we will be looking at how clinical matters featured in the column, how E V Runting turned Jottings into a popular and well received book, and how Jottings slowly came to an end.