240 MOTION AND COORDINATION 



relations permanently deforms the limb and interferes with 

 its use. 



Dislocations and Sprains. Dislocations, if they be of the 

 larger joints, also require the aid of the surgeon in their 

 reduction and sometimes in their subsequent treatment. 

 Simple dislocations of the finger joints, however, may be 

 reduced by pulling the parts until the bones can be slipped 

 into position. 



A sprain, which is an overstrained condition of the liga- 

 ments surrounding a joint, frequently requires very careful 

 treatment. When the sprain is at all serious, a physician 

 should be called. Because of the limited supply of blood 

 to the ligaments, they are slow to heal, and the temptation 

 to use the joint before it is fully recovered is always great. 

 Massage 1 judiciously applied to a sprained joint, by bring- 

 ing about a more rapid change in the blood and the lymph, 

 is beneficial both in relieving the pain, and in hastening 

 recovery. 



Summary. The skeleton, or framework of the body, 

 is a structure which is movable as a whole and in most of 

 its parts. It preserves the form of the body, protects 

 important organs, and supplies the mechanical devices, or 

 machines, upon which the muscles act in the production 

 of motion. The skeleton is adapted to its purposes 

 through the number and properties of the bones, and 

 through the cartilage and connective tissue associated 

 with the bones. The places where the different bones 

 connect one with another are known as joints, and most 

 of these admit of motion. The preservation of the natural 

 form of the skeleton is necessary, both for its proper action 

 and for the health of the body. 



1 See " Hygiene of Muscles," Chapter XV. 



