46 Life and Health 



fall on the hand often breaks the wrist, by which is meant 

 usually the fracture of the lower end of the radius. This 

 accident is common in winter from a fall or slip on the ice. 



69, Treatment for Broken Bones. When a bone is 

 broken a surgeon is needed to set it ; that is, to bring the 

 broken parts into their natural position, and retain them 

 by proper appliances. 



With old people a broken bone is often a serious matter, 

 and may cripple them for life, or prove fatal. A trifling 

 fall, for instance, may cause a "broken hip." From the 

 shock of such an injury, and the subsequent pain and 

 exhaustion, an aged person may die in a few weeks. 



In young people, however, the parts of a broken bone 

 will knit together usually in three or four weeks after the 

 fracture is reduced ; while in adults six or even more may 

 be required for firm union. 



After a broken bone is strong enough to be used, it is 

 fragile for some time, and great care must be taken, 

 especially with children, that the injured parts may not be 

 broken again before perfect union takes place. 



70. The Effect of Alcohol upon the Bony Framework. 

 During the entire period of bone growth the nutrition of 

 the body should not be impaired. 1 The bones should be 

 furnished with all the materials necessary for a large and 

 durable framework. Otherwise the body will be feeble 

 and stunted in growth. This condition is seen in the 

 stunted stature of young persons who have been underfed 

 and overworked. It is believed that alcoholic liquors 



1 Alcohol retards the growth of young cells and prevents their proper 

 development. Alcohol in all its forms is particularly injurious to young 

 persons, as it retards their growth and stunts both body and mind. This 

 is the theory of Dr. Lionel S. Beale, a celebrated microscopist and thinker, 

 and is quite generally accepted. DR. ROGER S. TRACY of the New York 

 Board of Health. 



