THE SKELETON 269 



ligaments in the joint to such an extent that they are more or 

 less torn, a condition followed by considerable pain and in- 

 flammation, accompanied by swelling. The injury may be 

 only a slight strain or it may be a severe rupture of the liga- 

 ments, more serious than a broken bone, requiring longer to 

 heal, and being more likely to result in permanent injury. 

 The best treatment is to place the joint in the most com- 

 fortable position and then apply, first, hot water (as hot as 

 endurable), then, cold water. The joint should then be tightly 

 bound in bandages. It is well to rest the joint, but the im- 

 pression that it should not be used until it is healed is a mis- 

 taken one, for this is likely to increase stiffness and make the 

 joint useless for a very long time. Indeed, a sprain heals 

 more quickly if the joint has some exercise, and after a day or 

 so, when the first inflammation has subsided, it should be 

 exercised frequently, and used as soon as possible. This 

 treatment is a little painful, but it results in making the joint 

 usable much sooner than the old method of completely 

 resting the joint until the sprain is healed. 



Dislocations. A dislocation occurs when the bones in a joint 

 are pulled out of position, as, for example, when the humerus is 

 pulled out of the socket at the shoulder, or the end of the femur 

 is pulled out of the depression in the tibia, in which it naturally 

 rests. The first thing to be done is to pull the bones back 

 into position. This usually requires the skill of a surgeon, 

 unless the dislocation should occur in one of the small joints 

 of the finger, which is easily put back into its proper place. 

 Since a dislocation is almost sure to be accompanied by a 

 strain and rupture of the ligaments, it should, after the bones 



:e put back into position, be treated just like a sprain. 



THE CARE OF THE FEET 



That the feet may be a source of great discomfort many 

 ;ople are aware; but that health is closely connected with 

 condition of the feet is not so generally recognized. To 



