e, and closely
laced corsets, tend to cause and increase this swollen condition of the
veins. Neither should be used during pregnancy.

Relief is best afforded to the suffering parts by means of a well-made
and adjusted _elastic stocking_, which may be readily procured from a
druggist or surgical instrument maker. In severe cases it may be
necessary for the patient to keep herself as much as possible in the
recumbent position on the bed or sofa. In all cases the feet should be
supported when seated, so as to keep the blood from further distending
the already swollen veins.

PILES.

That painful condition of the veins of the lower bowel known as
haemorrhoids, or piles, is a not unfrequent annoyance to pregnant women.
Sometimes it is caused by prolonged constipation. During the period of
pregnancy, therefore, constipation should be guarded against.

Ordinarily the piles are small, and of little consequence beyond the
slight uneasiness they occasion. The trifling loss of blood from them is
of no account, and often beneficial. The case is different, however,
when the piles are large and painful, and give rise to much pain and
copious bleeding. They then require prompt treatment.

In the _treatment_ of piles the first point to be aimed at is to keep
the bowels moderately open. It must not be forgotten, however, that
during pregnancy only the mildest of purgatives are ever to be given.
Castor oil, although a disagreeable, is a most excellent prescription in
these cases. A small dose, repeated when necessary, will be found to
act most kindly. If this remedy be too repugnant to the patient, small
quantities of citrate of magnesia, or of cream of tartar, or of some of
the natural mineral waters, may be employed. Small injections of
lukewarm water are also of great service, and may be tried instead of
laxatives.

After every movement the parts should be well sponged with cold water,
and an ointment of galls and opium, procured from the druggist, applied.

If the parts become very much inflamed, warm poultices or hot chamomile
solutions should be used, and the patient kept in bed until the
inflammation subsides.

No attempt is to be made to effect the radical cure of piles during
pregnancy. Any such attempt, besides being dangerous, is unnecessary,
for the piles usually disappear of their own accord after the
confinement. Every effort to make the sufferer more comfortable in the
manner we have suggested is, however, ri