A similar implement, the foot press or foot screw, consisted of a pair of horizontal iron plates tightened around the foot by means of a crank mechanism to lacerate the flesh and crush the bones of the foot. Although it was quite standard to line the lower plate with ribs to prevent the bare foot from popping out of the grip of the instrument as it became sweatier, a crueler variant of this device—typically encountered in Nuremberg, Germany—lined the upper plate with hundreds of sharp spikes. A version from Venice even connected the crank mechanism to a drill, so that a hole was drilled in the center of the instep while the instrument was tightened.
Medieval boots were built according to a wide array of architectures. One commonly encountered boot consisted fundamentally of a pair of parallel boards that splinted the bare foot from heel to toes and were connected by a screw mechanism. Turning the screw drives the boards together and inflicts untold lateral pressure on the metatarsal heads, causing agony. The effectiveness of the torture was heightened by the interposition of wooden pegs between the prisoner's toes.
A more technologically sophisticated boot is demonstrated in "The Big Book of Pain" by Donnelly and Diehl. Three U-shaped iron members constitute a crude boot-shaped receptacle for the front of the naked foot. A vertical plate behind the victim's heel holds the foot in place and is propelled by a powerful screw. Turning the screw slowly advances the foot into the boot, first breaking and crushing the bones of the toes. Were the prisoner particularly stubborn or resistant, the instrument was sufficiently powerful to fracture—and ultimately pulverize—the metatarsal bones of the instep. The inner surfaces of the boot could be festooned with spikes, teeth, and burs to make the torture even more horrible, and the entire instrument could be brought to red heat before its application to the victim's naked foot.
Read more about this topic: Boot (torture)
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