uppuration sets in suddenly, it may
result in an early death with attendance of acute fever. In other cases
several weeks may elapse from beginning suppuration till death.

A complete cure of tuberculous hip-joint inflammation may come about
spontaneously. But often the knee remains bent and unserviceable for
walking, so that crutches or machines must be used.

Even before this the beginning stages were treated with fair prospects
of success, and it is a lamentable fact that in many cases the import of
these seemingly trivial symptoms has been underestimated.

_Rest_ is of the greatest importance during the very first stages of the
disease in which the attending symptoms are of so indefinite a character
that it is almost impossible to know whether hip-joint inflammation will
develop or not; the child must not be allowed to walk. Aside from this
the application of brine-, malt- and sea-water baths is advised. An
abundance of nourishing food is of just as great importance. All this
will also retain its significance in the future.

Formerly recourse to surgery has been taken during the later stages of
the disease in which suppuration of the internal parts of the joint has
commenced and large parts of the diseased bones may have become
mortified. An incision is made into the joint, the same is exposed and
all diseased portions are carefully removed. In the future this
operation must probably also be performed, although with the difference
that the prospects of success are now much more certain than formerly
when relapses only too often followed the operation.

_Tuberculous inflammation of the knee-joint_ is, as said before, very
frequent with children and is rather lingering in the beginning. Here
also a slight dragging or limping of the diseased leg can be noticed.
The child when asked about the limping, or of its own accord, complains
of pain in the joint after walking or when the part is pressed; at first
nothing abnormal can be seen on the knee by the layman.

On closer examination, however, by comparing the two knees it will be
found that the grooves on each side of the patella, which give the
healthy knee-joint the beautifully modeled shape, have nearly or quite
disappeared; nothing more can be noticed.

The hinderance in motion may be so insignificant, that the children may
slightly limp about for weeks and months and complain but little.
Generally the physician is not called until the limb begins to hurt and