much better to let it
make its way out by a small opening spontaneously than to make a
puncture with a lancet, since the edges of the wound would not heal, and
the risk of the disease affecting the bone would be increased.

The _glandular swellings_ of the neck or about the lower jaw are
likewise best let alone, or merely covered with a layer of cotton wool,
stitched inside a piece of oiled silk to maintain a uniform temperature.
If they become suddenly painful and more swollen, a cooling lotion of
Goulard water and spirits of wine, constantly applied, will reduce the
swelling and lessen the discomfort. When stationary, a mild iodine
ointment may be smeared over the gland at bedtime, and covered with
oiled silk. Applications of iodine, however, need careful watching, for
sometimes they over-irritate the gland, and cause an abscess. If the
gland were out of sight there would be no objection to this, which
would probably be a rapid mode of getting rid of the swelling; but the
scar left behind, if the abscess burst or were opened, is an objection
when the swelling is situated in the neck or at the jaw.

If the skin over the top of the swelling becomes red, and its substance
begins to feel soft, then, but not till then, it is desirable to apply a
warm poultice constantly. At the same time the progress must be daily
watched by the doctor, in order that he may seize the proper moment to
make a small puncture and let out the matter. The small cut leaves a
less puckered scar than the natural opening. The subsequent management
of the case must be superintended by the doctor.

_Offensive discharge from the nostrils_ does not depend, in by far the
majority of cases, on disease of the bones, but on an unhealthy
condition of their lining membrane. It is exceedingly obstinate and
difficult of cure, is four times more frequent in girls than in boys,
and unfortunately often lasts into womanhood, and continues even when
the general health is perfect.

Much may be done to abate the annoyance by diligent sniffing up the
nostrils some weak disinfectant; or by regularly irrigating the nostrils
by means of a simple apparatus, to be obtained from any
instrument-maker. In spite of this, however, it is often necessary to
introduce a little plug of cotton wool dipped in the fluid some distance
up the nostrils, with a thread attached by which it can be withdrawn,
and a fresh one substituted twice a day.

The discharge of _whites_ is sometim