58 THE HUMAN BODY. 



soft parts also are lacerated, so that there is an opening 

 from the skin to the broken bone, the fracture is com- 

 pound. : , 

 Once a bone is broken the muscles attached to it are 

 apt to pull its ends out of place; hence it requires to be 

 "set," and then kept in position by splints or bandages; this 

 frequently needs much skill and a thorough knowledge of 

 the anatomy of the body. A medical man should be sum- 

 moned at once, as the parts around the break commonly 

 swell very rapidly and make the exact nature of the frac- 

 ture hard to detect, and also the replacement of the dis- 

 placed ends more difficult. 



Why does a broken bone need "setting"? What is the object of 

 "splints"? Why should skilled assistance be obtained as soon as 

 possible after a bone has been fractured ? 



APPENDIX TO CHAPTER IV. 



When giving lessons on Chapters III and IV, it is very desirable 

 for a teacher to have at hand an articulated human skeleton. This 

 may be purchased for about f 40.00 from Heuiy Ward, Rochester, 

 N. Y., and will last for an indefinite number of years. When the 

 school funds do not permit the purchase of a skeleton, one can almost 

 certainly be borrowed from some medical man or medical school for 

 a few days. When there are several public schools in a city it would 

 probably be possible to induce the school commissioners to purchase 

 a skeleton to be used by the schools in turn. 



