n for several hours if required. To give this
rubbing treatment and drinking hot water fair play, however, attention
must be paid most carefully to the _feet_ and _skin_ of the patient.
The feet frequently are cold, and in bad cases swell, the skin at and
above the swelling being pale and soft. In minor cases this state of
the feet may be treated by rubbing with hot olive oil. In serious cases
rubbing is to be alternated with bathing the feet in hot water, until
the feet and limbs glow with heat. This may be done two or three times
a day, for half an hour, or even an hour. It increases very greatly the
vital power for breathing.

Again, the skin in bad cases of asthma becomes dry, hard, and a light
brown substance forms on its surface. If the skin thus fails, severe
work is thrown on the already overloaded lungs, and the breathing is
much worse. Give the patient a night's pack in the SOAPY BLANKET
(_see_). If there is not strength to stand the entire treatment, keep
in the blanket pack for a shorter time--one, two, or three hours. Not
more than two nights of this treatment should be needed at a time. The
soapy blanket greatly stimulates the skin, and opens all the closed
pores, immensely relieving the lungs. If feet, skin, and back be
treated as we have advised, even a very obstinate case of asthma should
be cured. _See_ Appendix; Bathing the Feet; Rubbing; Soap; Soapy
Blanket.

Back Failures.--Often a severe pain in the toe, foot, ankle, or lower
leg has its cause, not in anything wrong with the part which is
painful, but in some failure of nerve in the patient's _back_.
Blistering or other treatment of the painful part will often injure,
and cannot do much, in any case, to cure. Pains even in the knee and
groin sometimes have the same cause--in back failure. In other cases
the symptoms are, weariness, stiffness, inability to stoop, or stand
long without support, and pains in the stomach and thighs.

A little thought will enable any one to distinguish between pains due
to back failure and those due to local causes. If there is no
appearance of anything wrong at the part pained, then the evil is
probably in the back. It is even a good rule to consider the pain at
first as due to back failure rather than local causes, for by treatment
of the back the local trouble, when that is present, is much helped and
relieved.

In the case of pains in the arms or hands, the _upper_ part of the back
is indicated; in leg and fo