ld not otherwise. An elastic bandage, not
very tight, put on above the knee will help the cure. Sprained joints
and muscles should have _perfect rest_ for a fortnight, and be used
very cautiously for some time longer.

Spring Trouble.--Many persons are distressed by some form of eruption
or inflammation in the skin in spring. The change of atmosphere and
temperature at this time greatly increases the demands made upon the
skin as an organ of perspiration, and this strain it is in many cases
unable to stand--hence the trouble referred to. To prevent this, the
skin must be brought into a better state of health and fitness for any
extra work, so that it can bear without injury even very great changes
of air and temperature. This may be done by regular application of soap
lather (_see_ Lather and Soap) to the _entire_ skin each evening for
three or four days, and then twice a week through all the season. Good
olive oil may be rubbed on before and after the lather, or even mixed
with it in rubbing on; if the cooling effect is found too great, two or
three thick coats of lather should be put on, and then gently wiped
off, and the oil applied. This, continued during the later winter and
spring, should entirely prevent eruptions. But if these do appear, or
have already come on, the irritation is apt to be so great that only
very fine and carefully made lather can be used. It is better then to
use _buttermilk_ instead of lather. But the BUTTERMILK (_see_) must be
_new_, and if necessary weakened by addition of sweet milk; if old and
strongly acid buttermilk be used, harm may be done. Do not _rub_ the
milk on: _soak_ it into the parts by gentle _dabbing_ with a pad of
soft cloth. This done frequently, even twice or three times a day, will
almost always effect a cure.

It should be remembered that no amount of washing or bathing will do in
this state of the skin. Water somehow, especially hard water, fails to
produce this fine state of the surface. When spring trouble has set in,
we would keep water entirely from the skin. Nothing does so well as
good buttermilk. In some forms of spring eruption, a strong mixture of
salt and water may be freely applied with great advantage. If this
irritates, it should at once be discontinued, but in many cases the
eruption will disappear under a few applications. The salt solution
should be gently rubbed on, and left to dry on the skin (_see_ Skin,
Care of; Underwear).

With the increasing w