242 EXPERIMENTAL GENERAL SCIENCE 



ends together. To facilitate this, the injured member is 

 usually bound with splints or enclosed in a plaster cast. 

 When the break is a slanting one, the tension of the muscles 

 may cause one part of the bone to be drawn past the other, in 

 which case it may be necessary to use a weight to hold the 

 ends apart and prevent the bone from being shorter when 

 repaired. In sprains, the ligaments are lessened, strained, 

 or torn from their fastenings, and, since such injuries heal 

 very slowly, sprains often prove as serious as broken bones. 

 The best remedy for a serious sprain is rest, but as recovery is 

 made, the part should be given gradual use to prevent its 

 becoming stiffened. When bones are driven from their 

 proper positions at the joints, they are said to be dislocated. 

 In youth, the parts of the skeleton, being less rigid than in 

 later life, are easily bent out of shape and this may result in 

 permanent deformities. Among the most common of de- 

 formities are bow-legs, round shoulders, and crooked spines. 

 Children may be made bow-legged by being encouraged to 

 walk before the bones are strong enough to support their 

 weight. Round shoulders are often caused by bending over 

 a book or other work for too long a time or by sitting at desks 

 that are too low. Crooked spines result from sitting in im- 

 proper positions. One should not sit too long in one position 

 and when standing should maintain an erect carriage. If one 

 will remember to " stand tall," that is, to stretch up to the 

 full height, much will have been done to avoid an awkward 

 carriage. Tight clothing over the ribs may cause deformities 

 which are harmful because they interfere with correct breath- 

 ing, and tight shoes may result in bunions, enlarged joints, 

 and the like. High heels are especially to be avoided since 

 they throw the weight of the body on the ankles in such a way 

 as to make them thick and clumsy, and this improper dis- 

 tribution of the weight may also cause broken arches, which 

 result in flat feet. 



