aten porridge will often furnish more
real nourishment than pounds of bread, beef, and potatoes. A little
careful thought will guide to correct treatment in this matter. An
easily assimilated diet is found in Saltcoats biscuits and hot water;
many inveterate stomach troubles have yielded to this, when taken as
sole diet for some weeks (_see_ Biscuits and Water).

Treatment may also be given for lack of assimilative power. The back,
especially on either side of the spine, is rubbed with gentle pressure
and hot olive oil. This pressure is so applied that a genial heat
arises along the whole spinal column. This done twice a day, for
half-an-hour at a time, and continued for several weeks, will markedly
restore assimilative power. Cases which have been perfectly helpless
for eight and even ten years are cured by this simple method,
sufficiently and carefully followed.

We had a patient who was stout, but weak and weary, with the muscles
slack and showing loss of power. The effect of back-rubbing,
accompanied by easily assimilated food in small quantities and often,
was to lessen his weight by a considerable amount. But the muscular
power at once began to increase, and the man was soon like one made
anew. Digestion had not been impaired in this case, but the blood
formed by it was not converted into good living substance. Sight and
hearing have even been restored by these means when the failure in eye
or ear has been due to waste material accumulating, as frequently is
the case.

In connection with many troubles, what may be called _local
assimilation_ has to be considered. A foot, say, with a bad abscess or
diseased bone (_see_ Pain, Severe) is cured by hot bathing and
pressure. From a shrunken and feeble limb, the leg grows to a healthy
and strong one. This occurs because the heat and pressure have so
stimulated its vitality that the material supplied by the blood can be
utilised in the leg for purposes of healthy growth. So with any other
part of the body. Such diet as we have indicated supplies easily
assimilated substance. The local heating, pressure, and bathing enable
this substance to be utilised where it is needed. A little careful
thought on this line will guide to proper treatment of almost any case
where assimilation has failed, either locally or generally, and will
lead the way to a method of cure.

Asthma exists in various forms, having equally various causes. One of
these causes, giving rise to a compar