th. These methods are more fully taken up in works
devoted to emergencies and will not be discussed in detail at this
time.

FAINTING

Consciousness is quickly restored to the fainting child by lowering
the head--laying him flat on the floor--while an assistant raises the
legs perpendicularly. Cold dashes of water may be slapped on the chest
with a towel, while the face is bathed or sprinkled with cold water.
Consciousness is usually quickly restored by the above suggestions, in
connection with plenty of fresh air.

A sudden blow on the head occasionally results in a severe condition
known as concussion of the brain. There is a partial or complete loss
of consciousness lasting from a few moments to an hour or two. Pallor
of the skin and a sense of bewilderment accompany concussion of the
brain.

Rest, quiet, and darkness should prevail until the physician arrives
and makes an examination. External heat to the extremities may be
applied, but no stimulants are to be administered until so ordered by
the physician.

It is wise to seek medical advice in the case of odd or unusual
behavior after a fall on the head.

CHAPTER XXXV

DIET AND NUTRITION

Most interesting is the study of the food as it passes through the
processes of digestion, absorption, assimilation, and oxidation--all
definite and important parts of the great cycle through which
everything we eat passes on its way from the table to the tissues.
Elimination is the last step in nutrition, and is the process by which
the body rids itself of the broken down cells and other poisonous and
useless wastes. These various phases of bodily nutrition may be
expressed in a single term--metabolism.

What we eat and how much we eat must be carefully planned, for our
body temple is really made of what we eat. If you were erecting a
beautiful mansion you would not think of allowing cheap, trashy, and
inferior building materials to enter into the construction of your
home. Neither should you permit unfit and inferior materials to become
a part of the daily dietary of your little boy or girl, thus to become
a part of their bodily structure.

ASSIMILATION OF FOOD

Following the process of digestion in the stomach and intestine, the
nutritive food elements are absorbed through the wall of the bowel by
the wonderfully adapted little villus, and distributed by various
routes to the uttermost parts of the body. The sugars (all starches
are changed into sug