THE FRAMEWORK OF THE BODY 55 



In standing, the weight should be supported evenly by 

 the two feet. One hip or one shoulder often becomes 

 higher than the other, upsetting the firm poise of the 

 figure by neglect of this precaution. A teacher should 

 see that a child is not kept standing till wearied. 



64. Bones of the Aged. As the bones of the young con- 

 tain an excess of animal matter, so those of the old have 

 an excess of mineral substances and are consequently 

 more brittle. The aged, therefore, need to guard espe- 

 cially against fractures of the bones. Not only are 

 their bones more easily broken, they are also healed with 

 greater difficulty. In the young and healthy the vital 

 processes are more actively carried on, and the busy bone 

 cells go swiftly to work to repair a breakage, throwing 

 out first around the injured parts a soft repairing material 

 in which bony matter is afterward deposited ; but in the 

 aged the bone cells work slowly, and a broken bone is 

 sometimes never fully restored. 



65. Broken Bones. The two ends of a broken bone 

 should be brought together into their correct position as 

 soon as possible, before inflammation and swelling render 

 this difficult. Of course a skillful surgeon should be 

 called to " set " a broken bone ; but there may be delay, 

 the patient may have to be carried some distance. In 

 such cases care should be taken to prevent injury to the 

 surrounding parts from the fractured ends of the bone. 

 A limb should be bound to a strip of board or even an 

 umbrella as a temporary splint. 



66. Injuries to Joints. Dislocation of a joint stretches 

 or breaks the ligaments and other membranes around 

 it, producing inflammation. This renders examination 

 and putting in place difficult, and a dislocated joint 

 should therefore be restored to place as soon as the need- 



