HYGIENE OF SKELETON. 57 



the boot. This not only crushes the toes and leads to 

 deformities, corns, and bunions, but makes the gait stiff, 

 inelastic and ungraceful. 



FIG. 25. Skull of a child of the tribe of Chinook Indian* (inhabiting the neigh- 

 borhood of the Columbia river), distorted by tight bandaging so as to assume the 

 shape considered elegant and fashionable by the tribe. 



In advanced life the animal matter of the bones is 

 present in deficient amount, and hence they are brittle 

 and easily broken. 



An infant has its bones but very imperfectly hardened 

 by mineral matter. Hence the great importance of sup- 

 plying it with food containing phosphate of lime, which 

 is the chief mineral constituent of bone. Of all common 

 articles of diet, milk contains most phosphate of lime : 

 hence one great reason of its value as a food for children. 



Fracture. When a bone is broken it is said to be/rac- 

 tured ; when it is a clean break the fracture is simple; 

 when the bone is more or less broken up into bits on each 

 side of the break the fracture is comminuted j when the 



"Why are the bones of an old person easily broken? Why should 

 tnilk form part of a child's diet ? 



What is a fracture? A supple fracture? A comminuted fracture? 

 A. compound fracture? 



