SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
261 
If there is the slightest irritation or soreness about the 
lids or other parts. 
How to Avoid Muscle Strain 
Girls and women in attempting to live an outdoor life 
or indeed when trying to do many of the things num- 
bered among the Scout activities, such as First Aid, 
Home Nursing and Hiking, often give themselves quite 
unnecessary pain and fatigue from lifting, pulling and 
carrying weights in the wrong way. Ability to carry 
and lift or move is not so much dependent upon absolute 
strength as it is on knowing how. The whole body, so 
far as it is a physical mechanism, may be thought of as 
a series of levers, of which the muscles, bones, and 
joints make up the parts and are fulcrum, power arm 
or weight arm as the case may be. Without going into 
the details of bodily structure or even knowing the names 
of the different bones and muscles, it is possible to learn 
a few simple things about the right use of these levers 
that will be useful at all times. 
Certain parts of the body are more able to do heavy 
work than others, and the first thing to remember is that 
the upper part of the back, the shoulders and the upper 
arms are stronger than the lower back, the abdomen 
and the lower arms. Therefore, whenever you are try- 
ing to lift or move an object, see if you cannot use 
these stronger parts. If the arms are held away from 
the body when lifting, pulling, throwing or pushing, the 
muscles of the upper arm, the shoulders and the upper 
back will be brought into play. If the arms are held 
close to the body, the lower-arm muscles are unduly 
taxed and in trying to help them out, pressure is made 
on the abdominal and pelvic muscles, which are not 
fitted to bear this sort of strain. Therefore, in carrying 
a bag or suitcase, where this is absolutely unavoidable, 
