Poetic foot; degrees of separation

Posted by ESC on January 26, 2004

In Reply to: Phrases posted by C. Knabel on January 26, 2004

: Help me find the meaning of these 2 phrases::
: SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION.

: POETIC FOOT.

:
: Many thanks, C. Knabel

"The basic unit of poetry is called a "foot" - this was originally a measure (Greek metron) of the time it takes to raise one foot in dancing or marching and put it down again. It's similar to a bar in music, or the off-beat + the on-beat in jazz and rock..."
www.users.globalnet.co.uk/ ~loxias/latinverse.htm

"Three years ago a trio of Pennsylvania college boys with too much time on their hands and a bottle of Southern Comfort came up with the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Craig Fass, Brian Turtle and Mike Ginelli wrote a letter to then TV talk-show host Jon Stewart, who invited them on his show to demonstrate the game. From these humble beginnings, a Web site arose, a book was published and a nationwide cult-fad was born.
The game is based on the conceit of the John Guare play and movie adaptation 'Six Degrees of Separation.' The play posits that we are all connected by six or fewer stages of circumstance or acquaintance..."
www.louisville.com/ loumag/mar/bacon.htm

I have a faint memory that there's more to the "six degreees of separation." Maybe a medical term?