Dirt Nap City

What Was An X-Ray Shoe Fitter? A Dirt Nap City Dead End

• Dirt Nap City • Season 3 • Episode 47

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Everyone loves shoes that fit just right. But did you know that not too long ago, people loved them enough to risk their health for perfectly fitting shoes? In this episode, we take a look at the X-Ray Shoe Fitter, also known as the Foot-O-Scope was a popular device used at shoe stores in the 1930's, 1940's and even 1950's to show people a real time view of their foot in a shoe. And while the process was entertaining and gave a good look at how well the shoe fit, it also exposed the wearer, the salesperson, and anyone else around to radiation. So while this may have been a big leap forward in shoe technology at the time, it was a big leap backwards in longevity!

Dirt Nap City Dead Ends are short stories about the traditions, sayings, technologies, and businesses that used to be popular but now reside in Dirt Nap City.  If you have an idea for a Dirt Nap City Dead End story, drop us a line at our email address: not@dirtnapcity.com

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Alex:

When is the last time you went shoe shopping?

Kelly:

Well, if you want to know the truth, I bought my son a pair of shoes for Christmas. And

Alex:

What size shoe you were 13? Jesus. Wow. But you actually were 13? Or is it like somewhere

Kelly:

It's probably a little bigger like, like, generally shoes tend to be tight on my toes. So

Alex:

And you know what they call those devices that measure your feet, but they have it the shoes doesn't measure the that just helps you put your foot in the shoe.

Kelly:

Shoe measuring device. metal thing with all the sliders on it? Yeah.

Alex:

It's called a Brannock device. Do you know that?

Kelly:

No, like the airline?

Alex:

No, that's brand F

Kelly:

Brannock. Yeah,

Alex:

invented by Charles Brannock. But I don't want to talk to you about the Brannock device

Kelly:

to Oh, man, that sounded fascinating. Well,

Alex:

they still have those. And this is an episode of dead ends where we talk about things

Kelly:

are on their way out on the way out.

Alex:

Well, I want to talk to you today about something that used to be prevalent in shoe

Kelly:

It is it shoe salesman.

Alex:

Well, that's a good one. You know, we have Academy here in Texas. And you go and the idea shoes. There's nobody really there to help you. There's just boxes of shoes everywhere. Yeah,

Kelly:

every size is out because I remember like shoe shopping back in the day. You went in and you back and brought it out right one

Alex:

at a time. Right? You'd say give me Yeah, and and but the academy way of doing it is just everywhere. And you know what, no casting any aspersions on Academy. But I don't think those when when my son was growing up, we go to any other shoe store. And it seemed like it took 10 an hour because nothing fit quite right. And like I said that whole process was chaotic. But back in remember, this is not something you would remember. This is something that took place in the to have X ray machines at shoe stores. Did you know this?

Kelly:

No.

Alex:

Yes, yes. This

Kelly:

sounds like you're making this I'm not

Alex:

making this up. This was always fascinating me. My mom used to tell me the stories about when department stores and they would you'd put a shoe on. And you put your shoe in this box. And you because it was an x ray.

Kelly:

Wait a minute, because an x ray would only show your bones. Right, right. Exactly. It didn't

Alex:

I think there was a you can see the outline of your of your skin, but you would see the bones

Kelly:

toe cancer today. You can you can think the shoe. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I was gonna say you can think of the Wendy's super bar. Well,

Alex:

it's actually a pretty interesting story. I did a little dive into this and found out a little stores and why they're not at shoe stores anymore. You want to go on this journey. Yeah,

Kelly:

yeah, no, man, I want to find a shoe store with an X ray machine. Well, you won't.

Alex:

But x rays actually were invented the X ray was invented or discovered by biomax Vilhelm

Kelly:

and he actually acted on that no,

Alex:

no. He had done this accidentally in 1895. And he found that this was the light that would behind. And the reason he called them X rays is because he didn't know what the light was. X was there was could be a lot of medical uses for this. He refused to patent it for the sake of humanity, she she said this is too important to waste time with

Kelly:

the patent fighting about who owns it.

Alex:

Exactly. So he just put it out there for people to use. And later people discovered that actually see the body with by using these X rays and actually, Thomas Edison former DNC subject yeah, I'm gonna service Edison. He told us all about him. He called this fluoroscopy He called even told you remember that? Yeah, yeah, we talked about that. Yeah. So if you're if you haven't city, go check that out. We'll wait.

Kelly:

Now what's interesting, I think about X rays is they were formerly called Twitter rays,

Alex:

I see what you did. You've been waiting, waiting to say that one. So when they first came you could put a fluorescent screen up and see the body, they had a picture in these medical journals boots. That was the picture. And so in world war that was right before World War One, World War shoe fitting, but also there was a use for doctors table to look at people's wounded feet, soldiers boot off, they could look and see what was going on with the foot. Because obviously, if you took sometimes. Yeah, that's what that's all about. And you're gonna keep doing this. That was a good, I there. So Jacob Lowe patented this technology in 1990. And it was a grand until 1927. What do you put your foot in and look at the look at the foot without removing somebody's shoe? What do you

Kelly:

Huh? I mean, that sounds like some sort of shoe removal magic.

Alex:

He called it the foot of scope. think we've established on the show that people weren't great back then I mean, before we were born, later, in England, they, they somebody founded the Peter they call paedos. That's what they call pedophiles. paedos. Right. The Peter scope shoe fitter.

Kelly:

Wow. Okay. So that shoe fitter.

Alex:

So the X ray shoe fitter was a wooden cabinet. And I had an x ray tube, and customers So they didn't have like a screen, like video screen or anything, you'd have to look through it. one for the clerk and one for like parent or the spouse or whoever. Yeah, another person, one for

Kelly:

the little boy lives on the lane.

Alex:

Well, after a while they were finding that people were, you know, when you when you think just doing that one time you're trying on several pair, you're going several times a week, or

Kelly:

made it really fun. And so you probably wanted to do Hey, can I look at that thing again

Alex:

And people were starting to get things like dermatitis, even cataracts, and sometimes cancer. would put your foot in this thing was about 20 seconds,

Kelly:

yeah. And so hold on, hold on. So so just I just also want to clarify, because typically now done with my teeth that the shirt is the dentist's I put on I put on led vest, right? They put the X They turned it on for like a second. And

Alex:

then agenda leaves the room, right the agenda,

Kelly:

and then turns it on for a second. And then it's written to a film. And then we look at the people were actually just turning this thing on and looking at a live view of it. Like you can them wiggle in the X ray. So they're looking at it for they're looking at it for 30 seconds, 20

Alex:

seconds 20 seconds was the average amount of time and they discovered that. So the way you called rota Jins okay ROENTG and S rent regions. And the full scope or the X ray shoe fitter would minute, by 1946 when they started putting limits on these things, The limit would be point one

Kelly:

So if you were a shoe salesman, you are screwed.

Alex:

Yeah, yeah. Now Edison, our friend, Addison, again, dirt nap city, resident and former subject. this area, and a tech in his lab by the name of Clarence Dally, who was like the main X ray, guy, getting lesions, then his hair fell out, then His face became wrinkled, then he has to have his arms cancer. And somebody asked Edison later in his life about X rays, and he said, Don't talk to me something was up with that. By the 1950s, though shoe stores were loving this. And by the 1950s, in the US alone.

Kelly:

If you google this thing, are there pictures of them?

Alex:

Yeah, they look kind of like the old. The old telephones like the Alexander Graham Bell you'd stick your foot in these things. Yeah. And so it would have places for you to look in them. of these machines. But you know, what, got people sour on them was,

Kelly:

I can think of a lot of things. Well,

Alex:

you got to figure though, how did we know how did people start knowing in the popular happened?

Kelly:

That Oh, was it? Hiroshima? Exactly. So

Alex:

the end of World War 219 45, the US dropped atomic bombs on Japan and what we don't think we in the late 40s and 50s, were starting to hear stories about radiation and cancer and all kinds conditions that were happening as a result of radiation sickness. That that started seeping into bit uneasy about all things radiation. And so they're like, oh, wow, that's the same. That's the that happened when I go to the shoe store will state started banning them. But in 1970, there don't know if those 17 states still allow them. But they basically stopped making those x ray shoe And you know, when you think about it, and the Brannock device is fine. I mean, it's shoe, it's either 13 or 12 and a half or 13 and a half, and there's no, it's not like you can get a 13 and a

Kelly:

well, not not for not for off the shelf, right. I mean, you could probably get custom shoes your subject was going to be about half sizes of shoes, because because I do remember, like, I quarter sizes. No half sizes. I don't I don't ever see half sizes anymore. Of course

Alex:

they do. But maybe they don't have quarter sizes. I mean, they never did. I don't think

Kelly:

maybe they don't have them at Walmart where I shop.

Alex:

Exactly. But you know what they say if the shoe fits, Kelly that's the end of that if the But nobody says that part. I just want to mention that most of the information that I talked about Institute of Electrical and electric, electronics engineers, they have a whole article written about machines at shoe stores.

Kelly:

And you know, we're gonna get a lot of hate from the shoe shoe ometer. Lobby. So shoot. What, the X ray shoe fitter, or the shoe fitter, or the pizza so things, the, all of those, they are know, it's big, it's big shoe store, companies that are kind of running everything. And so I opinions expressed on today's dirt nap city, were Alex's alone.

Alex:

Now. You know, I think it's a good idea, obviously that they don't have these anymore. But, experience once to see what that looked like and just just kind of shopping, you put your foot in a looks. I think if they could invent some sort of digital nine, I mean, you could probably put a non lethal way to do this. I think I'd be on board. I think it's a cool idea. But obviously, we

Kelly:

why? Why that's all I got to ask is why you got to put the shoe on, does it feel good? You push down on the toe? And isn't that is that in the right spot? Right? And then you pull up and too wide. And then you walk a few steps. You look in that little mirror that the salesman sits on, your shoe. And then you're good. You don't need a shoe ometer

Alex:

if they're sneakers, you gotta run around in a little bit. You gotta run in the street a little Yeah. Those are good times. For sure. I remember when my son was little we always have such a hard went about Are you sure you want these? Yes, yes. Yes. Are you sure they fit feel good? Yep, yep, the car, which is about 10 steps away from the store and he goes, my feet hurt.

Kelly:

And if only you had had a shoe fit ometer

Alex:

and went back in the store and they would not take them back.

Kelly:

Because you wore him out of the store to the store.

Alex:

And if we only had an x ray shoe fitter that could have been avoided.

Kelly:

I'll never remember that name, but I love it.

Alex:

All right. See you Bye.

People on this episode

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Alex Milam

Host
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Kelly Shores

Host