1 6 PERSONAL APPEARANCES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. 



of the toes, stunted and small in comparison with those 

 of the fingers. One other bone should be mentioned in 

 the lower limb the knee-cap, which is visible under the 

 skin, and in front of the knee joint. 



In the disease of early life called Rickets, when the 

 skeleton is unnaturally soft, the yielding bones of the 

 thigh and leg give way under the weight of the child when 

 it attempts to walk, and extreme 

 and permanent deformity may 

 result unless the child is kept 

 off its legs. Thus the thigh 

 bone curves forwards, and out- 

 wards, and the leg bones, 

 especially the larger one, bend 

 forwards, and bowed legs and 

 " knock-knees " (see Fig. 3) 

 result. Happily the soft and 

 yielding nature of the bones 

 allows of appliances early had 

 recourse to effecting the straightening of the limb ; but 

 unless such measures be taken, and if the child continues 

 to walk, the deformity will be increased, and as the 

 bones grow firm will be borne by it throughout life. 



Such in merest outline is the bony framework of the 

 skeleton. . It is completed by the union of the bones in 

 * Ricketty deformity of bones of lower limbs. 



