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Care of the Feet.1

1. A good marching shoe should be large enough in all directions, but not too large. If the foot moves in the shoe it is liable to chafe and blister. A common defect in shoes is that they are too tight over the instep and too loose across the ball of the foot. If the leather forward of the instep is too slack, wrinkles will form. Folds of leather and rough inner seams should be avoided. The inner edge of the shoe should be almost straight, the sole thick and wide, projecting beyond the upper leather. The heel should be low and broad, and the toe of the shoe should be of such a length that there will be no pressure on the ends of the toes or toenails.

2. The toenails should be cut straight across, a little behind the end of the toe, and should not be rounded. Any tendency to ingrowing should receive treatment at once.

3. Corns and callosities are due to pressure and friction from unhygienic shoes. When between the toes they are soft; on other parts they are dry and hard. They often render men unfit for duty.

Treatment.—(a) Remove the cause by wearing hygienic shoes, Soak the feet well in hot water, thoroughly disinfecting them with bichloride (1 part bichloride of mercury to 2,000 parts water) or other disinfectant and then pare the corn or callus down with a sharp knife without wounding the skin. The hands of the person and the knife should be sterilized before the operation is performed. (See p. 184.) Fragments of glass and sandpaper should not be used on corns. Persons should be cautioned about the care and treatment of corns as a slight wound of the foot may lead to lockjaw or blood poisoning. Soft corns should be treated by applying a dusting powder like aristol on cotton or gauze between the toes.

(b) Apply the following collodian paint with a camel's-hair brush, night and morning, for several days, then soak the feet in hot water, and the corn will come away painlessly:

Acid salicylic__

Extract cannabis indice_

Collodii__-

M. C. Corn paint.

1 dram.

10 grains. 1 ounce.

4. Blisters.-Save the skin; drain at the lowest point with a clean needle. Protect with adhesive plaster.

5. Excessive and foul perspiration.—Excessive perspiration often leads to foot soreness, blisters, fissures, and corns, and may be offensive.

1 From "The Landing Force and Small Arms Instructions" U. S. Navy.

(a) Mild cases will be relieved by dusting into the shoe and onto the foot the following "foot powder":

Acid salicylic

Pulverized amyli___.

Talci

3 parts.

10 parts.

87 parts.

This foot powder may be used with benefit before a march, especially in cases of sore or tender feet.

(b) Severe cases will be relieved by soaking the feet, after a preliminary scrub with soap and water, in a solution of permanganate of potassium. The stain should be left on the feet. The solution should be gradually increased from 1 per cent to 6 per cent and the treatment continued nightly for three weeks. The foot powder should be used during the day.

(c) Another method of treatment is to sprinkle a few drops of formalin into the shoe each morning.

6. The feet should be well greased with tallow or neat's-foot oil before a march, or the inside of the stockings should be covered with a stiff lather of common yellow soap well rubbed in, or the foot powder may be freely used.

7. Should the stockings cause pain, the pressure is sometimes relieved by shifting them to the other foot or by turning them inside out. Within two hours after reaching camp the feet should be wiped off with a wet cloth, clean stockings put on, and those which are removed washed for the following day, if possible.

8. Men unaccustomed to marching may toughen their feet by soaking them in strong, tepid, alum water (a teaspoonful to a pint).

CHILDBIRTH (LABOR).

Women usually go to a hospital or remain at home when they expect to give birth to a child, but occasionally labor begins without warning while the woman is traveling or otherwise unprepared. This is due in most cases to the period of gestation having been shorter than normal or miscalculation having been made by the woman or her physician as to the time labor should commence.

Normal labor is divided into three stages. The first stage extends from the beginning of labor pains until the mouth of the womb is completely dilated by the head of the child; the second extends from this point to the birth of the child; and the third from the birth of the child to the extrusion of the afterbirth. The length of the first stage is ordinarily about 12 hours, the second 1 hour, and the third 30 minutes. There is, however, great variation in this respect, and in some cases the child is born in a few minutes.

Symptoms. During the first stage the woman is restless and apprehensive. At first the pains are not severe and occur not oftener than every 10 or 15 minutes. They are sharp, lancinating in character,

and feel very much like cramps in the abdomen due to indigestion. The pains gradually become more frequent, stronger, and longer in duration. They may last a full minute, during which time the woman will hold on to the bed, a chair, or anything that is within her reach. At the end of this period the sac inclosing the child bursts, and a portion of the water which it contains gushes forth.

During the second stage the pains are more powerful. The woman holds her breath, braces her feet, and uses all her muscles in an effort to expel the child from the womb. It is pushed through the pelvis, the soft parts at the end of the birth canal become stretched, and the head of the child is forced by an extra severe pain through the genital opening. The rest of the child is delivered after one or two more pains. This is followed by a discharge of blood and water, the former being from blood vessels which are ruptured when the afterbirth is separated from the walls of the womb, and the latter being the remainder of the water which surrounded the child in the womb. There is always some blood lost at every childbirth, so this hemorrhage need not cause alarm unless the woman's pulse becomes weak, her face pale, or she gasps for air. After the expulsion of the child the pains cease and the woman has an opportunity to rest. In half an hour or so the pains return and the afterbirth is expelled.

Care and treatment.-The woman should be made as comfortable as possible, but should not be required to lie down until after the bag of waters (the sac surrounding the child in the womb) has burst. Before this occurs she should pass her urine and an injection of warm water and soap should be given into the rectum to clear out all fecal matter. The lower part of the body should be washed with soap and water and then with a solution of bichloride, 1 part to 5,000 (one 71grain tablet of bichloride of mercury dissolved in 5 pints of water). Under no circumstances should water, oil, or any other liquid be injected into the birth canal, nor should anyone introduce a finger or other article into this canal to see "how the labor is getting along" or for any other reason. The bed should be covered with clean sheets. A piece of rubber sheeting or other waterproof article should be placed under the lower sheet to protect the mattress, and a number of other sheets or clean towels should be spread under the woman's hips to catch the discharge. The attendant who is caring for the woman should have on a clean white dress, and her hands and nails should be scrubbed with soap and water and then soaked in the bichloride solution (1 to 5,000). If she soils her hands in any way they should be again washed and disinfected in the bichloride solution. The woman in labor should not be held during a pain, but she should be allowed to hold on to any person or thing she grasps. When the genital outlet begins to bulge the nurse should place her disinfected hand on the tense tissues at the lower part of the outlet and gently but

A full description of them is given in books upon physical training. They are best taken as a drill by a number of people at the same time. Persons over 50 years old should not exercise violently. Their outdoor recreation should consist chiefly of riding, walking, and playing golf, where a sudden strenuous effort is not required.

Fatigue.

This condition is a sign that the body forces are strained and that if work is continued injury may result. This injury may not be apparent immediately, but will show itself in a weakened heart or nervous prostration later on. It results from two causes: The using up of organic force or energy, and the wear and tear of the organs which are overworked, so that matter and energy are consumed, while restitution does not keep pace with the work. It has been found that accidents are more liable to happen if employees are overworked, and that a person can not do efficient work if he is fatigued. Hours of labor depend upon the character of the work, but where it is possible to do so the days should be divided into eight hours of work, eight hours of sleep, and eight hours of recreation, with one full day's rest once a week. In some cases, where the work is more than usually laborious or the nervous strain greater than ordinary, more hours of rest will be required. During the hours of recreation the mind should be free from the problems with which it is occupied during the hours of labor, so that the person may start in again fresh and invigorated.

Clothing.

Clothing worn in the house in winter should not be thick and heavy, as the body is then kept too warm, perspiration forms, and chilling occurs when going outdoors. It is much better to wear thinner clothing and put on thick wraps when going outside. In summer the clothing should be of a light color, as white absorbs the least heat. Woolen material is best in winter, as it is a poor conductor of heat. It also absorbs moisture and checks the evaporation of perspiration. Several thin, loosely-woven garments are warmer than a thick one. The advantage results from the layers of warm air inclosed between the meshes of the material. Undergarments, when made of wool, frequently irritate the skin, so merino, which is a mixture of wool and cotton, is generally used in its place for this purpose. Underclothes should be frequently washed, as it is necessary that they should be kept clean as possible. Woolen garments are liable to shrink unless the washing is carefully done. Such garments should be plunged one at a time in tepid soapsuds; they should be gently squeezed, but should not be subjected to hard rubbing. The soap should be rinsed out carefully with tepid water, after which

they should be hung up to dry without wringing. If there is a tendency to shrink they should be stretched into shape while drying.

Baths.

A bath should be taken at least once a day by everybody. The temperature of the water is of minor importance, except that a warm bath is more cleansing than a cold one. Old people, children, and weak persons should not take cold baths, as they are too depressing for such persons; nor should they be taken by anyone except in the morning and unless they are followed by a feeling of exhilaration. In order to bring about this condition after a bath the body should be rubbed briskly with a dry towel. A warm bath at night frequently induces sleep and is often beneficial to persons of a nervous temperament. In order to avoid catching cold, care should be taken not to sit in a draft after a warm bath. Shower baths are better than tub baths, as the water runs off the body and is not used again.

Care of the Mouth and Teeth.

It is important to take good care of the teeth. If they are allowed to decay, the food can not be masticated, indigestion results, and the body is not properly nourished. The bony processes of the jaws which hold the teeth in place are absorbed after the teeth fall out, allowing the cheeks to sink in, which makes the face look long and thin.

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Dental decay is caused by fermentation of small particles of food which are permitted to remain in the crevices between the teeth. This fermentation is due to bacteria and results in the formation of acids which dissolve the lime salts of the teeth. The hard white outside coating of the teeth, known as the enamel, is first attacked. This is destroyed at spots where the food is lodged and the softer interior substance of the tooth is exposed; this is rapidly eaten away, and a cavity is formed which increases in size until only a hollow shell of enamel remains. The nerves of the teeth are extremely sensitive, and severe pain or toothache is produced when dental decay extends into a tooth. An abscess or gumboil may form at the root of a tooth. This causes a throbbing pain, swelling, and fever. It usually breaks through the gum, discharging pus, with relief of the symptoms; sometimes, however, the inflammation extends to the bone, ending in its necrosis or death. Occasionally pus organisms are absorbed into the blood and blood poisoning ensues.

An unclean mouth makes an ideal home for small organisms known as endameba buccalis, which many believe are the cause of pyorrhea dentalis or Rigg's disease. In this disease there is inflammation of the gums, which become soft, swollen, and bleed easily. The disease extends around the roots of the teeth, pus exudes from 129054°-19-7+8

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