The Hindu : All about a foot

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 15, 2002

International

International

All about a foot

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON: Guess what's the most discussed medical term in Britain these days? Clue: it is not just on everyone's lips but is weighing heavily on every patriotic Briton's mind and even cropped up at a cabinet meeting the other day, we are told. In the past three days, it has been bandied about so much that only the very ignoramus could have failed to read or hear about it. It's "Metatarsal'', better known in these parts as the bone that broke a nation's heart. So much has been written about it since England's football hero David Beckham broke it (in the picture) on Wednesday that, even without looking at the notes, one can tell you that it is a long fragile bone that links the second toe to the ankle, and that it can take up to six weeks to heal. ``The Day of the Metatarsal'', "A Nation Holds its Breath: Will his Left Foot Mend in Time?'', "World Waits on Beckham's Broken Bone'', "Beckham's Foot Becomes Blair's Bone of Contention''— these have been some of the gloomy headings in Britain's leading broadsheets but tabloids have been even gloomier with The Sun even urging its readers to pray for Beckham's quick recovery. Beckham's broken foot has adorned the front pages of tabloids, and x-ray images of his fractured metatarsal have been shown on television.

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