# What Function do Toenails Serve? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 22, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-function-do-toenails-serve/486941 "2009-02-22T14:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-function-do-toenails-serve/486941/21 "2009-02-23T16:49:10Z")
Heh - sorry, BoD. For those now scared off - it’s a story relating how Jose Guillen had an ingrown nail on his big toe and decided to perform a little self-surgery. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-function-do-toenails-serve/486941/22 "2009-02-23T17:17:12Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > I use the nails on my big toes to scritch annoying itches on the opposite leg or foot. Yes and they’re quite useful for scritching the cat when you just can’t be bothered bending over ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-function-do-toenails-serve/486941/23 "2009-02-23T18:07:41Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > All the problems you mention are the direct result of wearing shoes. Humans didn’t evolve to wear shoes but evolution hasn’t had nearly enough time to catch up with our modern lifestyle. Yes, but before evolutionary pressure acts to eliminate toenails the economic phenomena of the Shoe Event Horizon will occur, resulting in collapse of fiscal markets and subsequent failure of industrial society. Then you’ll be glad you have toenails. Stranger [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-function-do-toenails-serve/486941.md?page=1)