In reviewing these articles I got sidetracked by the fact that in Victorian days, what we call a "hangnail" was called an "agnail." The term derives from the Anglo-Saxon word "angnægl," which translates as "pain-nail" but certainly sounds more like the word we use today than the Victorian word! But perhaps next time I start gnawing my nails I'll just tell folks that I have "agnails." Agnails, chaps and chilblains were all common afflictions of Victorian hands and feet, due largely to dampness and cold weather.

The Toilet: The Hands (Peterson's, 1856)

Hands and Feet: Their Care and Comfort (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

Lissom Hands and Pretty Feet, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1880)

Chilblains, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1881)

"In simple language a chilblain, whether on the hands or feet, is nothing save a mitigated form of frostbite."

About Fingernails, by Arthur Stradling (Girl's Own Paper, 1882)

It's Strange, But It's True, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1889)

On the care of the feet, procrastination, unselfishness and many other topics.

The Feet and Their Troubles (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1889)

Beautiful Hands, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1892)

Hints on the Care of the Feet, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1892)

Beauty and the Hands, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1893)

Concerning Chaps and Chilblains (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

What We Pay for Our Boots, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

"Of all parts of our body the feet are the most frequently deformed... The faults of modern boots are many, and each produces its special deformity." Covering bunions, corns, flat feet and more.

*"Medicus" was the pen-name of Gordon Stables, M.D., R.N., health columnist for The Girl's Own Paper. Read the complete collection of Medicus Columns from 1881-1902 in chronological order.