he flexion at the elbow. How is that likely to be done?
The triceps must start somewhere above the elbow, and quite far above,
too, to be able to make a straight angle of an acute one; it must start
toward the back in order to draw back the forearm; and be attached to
the back of the bone below. Also it must be quite a long muscle. So much
reason tells you. Now let me see how it is done, in fact. And you find
that the triceps has three origins high above its one attachment as a
tendon, to give it a good strong pull. These are in the outside of the
humerus and in the scapula. That is logical, and you will remember it.

Now how does the arm bend? What pulls against the triceps? And you are
interested before you know it.

There is nothing, good, bad, or indifferent, but has some points of
interest if the mind turns its entire attention to it. But our tendency
is to grow tired of calling back our wandering thoughts again and again
to the thing that is hard, dry, or stupid. And we need more incentive
than just the doing of the duty because it is to be done. We need a
compelling interest in the goal to encourage our wills to concentration
on the less interesting. Let us first think out the _why_ of knowing
anatomy if we are to be nurses. And if the profession of nursing is the
goal, let anatomy become just the next stretch of the road that leads to
it.

Concentration can be acquired. It may require three hours at first to
learn your lesson; but later on you will do it in two, then in one, and
perhaps in less. And when you can sit down with your notes and learn
them with voices about you--perhaps; with some one else in the room;
with a party an hour ahead; when you can disregard all but the work at
hand, then you can concentrate, and the big battle of your life as a
student is won. Study is no longer drudgery. Lessons occupy much less of
your time and leave you more free hours. Because you give them your
whole mind you learn them in a fraction of the hours hitherto wasted
upon them, when you studied with divided attention. When you are doing
clear thinking on the thing at hand, satisfactory results are assured.

SELF-TRAINING IN MEMORY

Hand in hand with clear thinking goes reliable memory. But so many of us
have it not, and feel its need so strongly that we shall consider for a
moment some means of training it.

William James holds that brain-paths cannot be deepened; that memory is
not strengthened in that way. There