Page 231 - madame-bovary

hands, plunged into the reading of it.
While he was studying equinus, varus, and valgus, that is
to say, katastrephopody, endostrephopody, and exostrepho-
pody (or better, the various turnings of the foot downwards,
inwards, and outwards, with the hypostrephopody and an-
astrephopody), otherwise torsion downwards and upwards,
Monsier Homais, with all sorts of arguments, was exhort-
ing the lad at the inn to submit to the operation.
‘You will scarcely feel, probably, a slight pain; it is a sim-
ple prick, like a little blood-letting, less than the extraction
of certain corns.’
Hippolyte, reflecting, rolled his stupid eyes.
‘However,’ continued the chemist, ‘it doesn’t concern me.
It’s for your sake, for pure humanity! I should like to see
you, my friend, rid of your hideous caudication, together
with that waddling of the lumbar regions which, whatever
you say, must considerably interfere with you in the exercise
of your calling.’
Then Homais represented to him how much jollier and
brisker he would feel afterwards, and even gave him to un-
derstand that he would be more likely to please the women;
and the stable-boy began to smile heavily. Then he attacked
him through his vanity:
‘Aren’t you a man? Hang it! what would you have done if
you had had to go into the army, to go and fight beneath the
standard? Ah! Hippolyte!’
And Homais retired, declaring that he could not un-
derstand this obstinacy, this blindness in refusing the
benefactions of science.

0 Madame Bovary