Part 22
More injury than good results from placing below the thigh a canal
which does not pass farther down than the ham,
[p. 191] for it neither prevents
the body nor the leg from being moved without the thigh. And it creates
uneasiness by being brought down to the ham, and has a tendency to
produce what of all things should be avoided, namely, flexion at the
knee, for this completely disturbs the bandages; and when the thigh
and leg are bandaged, if one bend the limb at the knee, the muscles
necessarily assume another shape, and the broken bones are also necessarily
moved. Every endeavor then should be made to keep the ham extended.
But it appears to me, that a canal which embraces the limb from the
nates to the foot is of use. And moreover, a shawl should be put loosely
round at the ham, along with the canal, as children are swathed in
bed; and then, if the thigh-bone gets displaced either upward or to
the side, it can be more easily kept in position by this means along
with the canal. The canal then should be made so as to extend all
along the limb or not used at all.