talking about health . our family doctor . sprained ankle . she was not quite thirty and was obviously having trouble putting her left foot to the ground . her husband had to help her into my consulting room . she told me what had happened . I was coming downstairs with an armful of things and I tripped on the last step but one . the carpet &apos;s loose there and my heel got caught . I fell with my foot underneath me . obediently she slipped off her right shoe and stocking . I helped her out of the slipper she was wearing on her left foot . I took my stocking off to bathe my foot in cold water , she said apologetically . I made her lie on the examination couch , and compared the two ankles . there was nothing much to see except that the left one was badly swollen . I persuaded her to try all the different movements of the ankles and toes . her right foot moved normally of course . her left foot would move a little in most directions but all her movements were limited and painful . it hurt most when she tried to twist the foot outwards . clearly there was no damage to her foot or to her freely wiggling toes . the damage and the worst pain was in the area just below the left ankle bone on the outer side . I felt each ankle in turn carefully , and although the left one hurt her it was fairly certain that no bones were broken . you &apos;ve been lucky , I told her . I do n&apos;t think there &apos;s a fracture . just a bad sprain with bruising and swelling . but we &apos;d better have an X-ray to be quite sure about it . armed with my note , her husband took her in their car to the casualty department . they were back in just over an hour . there was no fracture and all that had been needed was the simplest treatment . what they had done was to take a three-inch elastic adhesive bandage and apply it carefully but firmly from below upwards , so that it supported the torn outer ligament of her ankle . I encouraged her to try walking on it now that it was safely strapped up . she was unsteady but she could manage a few steps . that &apos;s a lot more comfortable , she agreed . I instructed her to walk on it a little each day , increasing the time daily , but being careful for a week and not overdoing it . at the end of a fortnight I was able to take off the bandage . for now the cure was complete . but to be on the safe side I advised her to take it easy for another fortnight . she was very good about it . and her husband has made sure that there are now no loose stair-carpets , mats , or rugs anywhere in the household . Dr Meridith . facts about eczema . Joan Williams S.R.N , S.C.M advises on the best ways to relieve discomfort . in the ordinary way , a baby &apos;s skin and the skin of a young child is perfect and quite flawless . but in some circumstances , a rash may develop of one kind or another . and of these , eczema calls for the greatest amount of skilful management and patience . sufferers from eczema can be divided into three groups . firstly , babies who develop it at about four months of age , and in whom the trouble clears up spontaneously by the second birthday ; secondly , babies in whom the rash persists after this point has been reached ; and thirdly , children who have no sign of eczema in babyhood , but who develop it when they are around two or three years of age , or even later . of these three groups , the first is by far the most common . eczema usually begins on the cheeks , which become first bright red , then very shiny . next the skin begins to crack . then follows the weeping stage . the rash tends to spread from the child &apos;s cheeks to his head , neck , body and limbs . it &apos;s an uncomfortable condition because of the irritation , and unless he is checked , the child will inevitably scratch . but this is precisely what he must n&apos;t do , because scratching can lead to bad infection . and , quite apart from anything else , skin infections can be passed on to other people , although eczema itself is never contagious . how can this scratching and subsequent infection be prevented ? by making impossible direct contact between the baby &apos;s hands and the affected skin . this entails completely covering the latter by means of dry sterile gauze and bandages , and/or a washable cotton garment . and , unless he is at an age when he can take them off , by putting his hands in cotton mitts . cure unknown . there is no known way of curing eczema . if it &apos;s going to clear up , as is usually the case , it will do so of its own accord , generally when the child is between eighteen months and two years of age . if it does n&apos;t go spontaneously by this time , it &apos;s likely to last for several years , as is the case when the older child develops it . fortunately , in these circumstances , the eczema is generally the dry type , and only slight , restricted to neck , elbows , and behind the knees . but even though there is no specific treatment which will cure eczema , there are ways by which discomfort can be greatly eased . first on the list of relief measures is a simple lotion , cream or ointment , which is applied direct to the affected skin in order to relieve the irritation . usually , the doctor will prescribe calamine for weeping eczema , and zinc cream or coal tar ointment for the dry type . sedative . almost certainly , he will prescribe a suitable sedative , too . probably , one which is also an anti-histamine ( which means it is able to offset to some extent at least , the irritating effect of the chemical substance called histamine spilling out from body cells into the tissues ) . something else the doctor is likely to prescribe is a special emulsifying ointment . this is used instead of ordinary soap . for the latter may well increase the irritation and probably aggravate the rash . since wool is also irritating to the child with eczema , it &apos;s advisable for his mother to make him removable linings or little undergarments of butter muslin or cotton . but it &apos;s not necessary to put him on a special diet . some babies seem to improve when fed on a reliable brand of evaporated milk or soya bean flour instead of fresh or dried milk . but then the well-known child specialist with whom I discussed the subject of eczema is convinced that these children would improve anyway , and that it has nothing to do with the milk . one last word . just as there is no specific cure for eczema , so there is no one specific cause . nevertheless , it is regarded as an allergic reaction , although it &apos;s only in rare cases that a particular substance can be detected to which the child is allergic . some believe that eczema is caused by emotional factors , even in the youngest baby . but while most experienced doctors will agree that the condition is aggravated by tension , they do not agree that this is the basic cause . except , possibly , in the older child . certainly in such a child , eczema is made worse by parental tension , and by repeated attempts to find someone who will cure him . fortunately , it &apos;s equally true that the condition begins to improve once the family doctor can induce the parents to accept philosophically the fact that their child has eczema , that there is no specific cure , but that , in time , it &apos;s almost certain to disappear . this spontaneous disappearance of the rash is even more likely when , in addition to carrying out the proper treatment , the parents are able to provide tranquillity and happiness within the home itself , and in their day-to-day dealings with their child . talking about health . our family doctor . cramp . she was a tall , slim , athletic looking nineteen-year-old . I &apos;m going on holiday with friends next month , she said , and want to swim a lot . I &apos;m apt to get cramp and wondered how to prevent it ? when do you get cramp ? mostly at night , but I &apos;m worried about getting it while I &apos;m swimming . usually it starts just as I &apos;m going to sleep , she added . always in my right leg . here , touching her calf muscles . but if I get up and stamp around the bedroom it soon goes . does it happen any special night in the week ? I asked . she said slowly : well , I &apos;ve noticed it on Tuesdays and Thursdays . what do you do on those days that you do n&apos;t on others ? the answer was that she went to keep-fit sessions at a local gymnasium . do you perspire a lot ? we all do , but we drink lots of lemonade and that sort of thing . I explained to her that cramp is often caused by having lost salt through sweating . you get thirsty and drink a lot . all the body fluids are salty , and the salt and water is carefully balanced . lose water and salt by sweating profusely and they stay in balance . replace only the water and the balance of salt gets upset and that shows up very commonly as a muscular cramp later on . you must try what people do in hot countries . drop a salt tablet into the water or lemonade and you replace both salt and water . then you will n&apos;t get cramp . on holiday , I told her , she was more likely to get cramp if she swam soon after a meal . wait at least an hour after eating , and never swim when you are cold . warm up your muscles by running about and doing a few exercises before you go into the water . if ever you do get cramp in the water , do n&apos;t panic . float on your back and use your hands and arms to scull yourself back to the beach . then pull the cramped leg right up to your chest and massage the affected calf muscles . if you can get some heat into them - say from a handkerchief soaked in a thermos of hot tea - so much the better . and if you should get cramp again in bed at night pull your leg up to your chest . then try to pull your toes up towards your chin . that lengthens and stretches the contracted muscles and the cramp will soon go . I learnt later that she had a really wonderful holiday with never a hint of cramp . Dr Meridith . hoping for a baby . discussing delayed pregnancy , Joan Williams S.R.N , S.C.M emphasizes that , with rare exceptions , every young couple may become parents . it is a known fact that within the framework of marriages where there is a complete and natural sex relationship , pregnancy will begin within a year for about eighty out of a hundred couples . and with only a further ten per cent will it occur during the second year . obviously then , a couple who have tried unsuccessfully for a whole year to have a baby are justified in thinking that something may be wrong . and they are equally justified in seeking medical advice . indeed , they would be wise to do so : particularly if the wife is in her late twenties or older . they may well find that the delay has a very simple explanation which is quickly revealed through a quiet talk with their doctor . for often the root of the trouble is their lack of true understanding in regard to marital relationship , and/or the fertile phase in the menstrual cycle . adjustment . in this case , the putting into practice of necessary adjustments will probably lead to the desired pregnancy within a few months . or maybe even sooner . and if the doctor can not find any obvious cause for the delay in conception ? if he advises specialist investigation ? there is still no cause for despondency or apprehension . for true sterility is rare , and there is every chance that the cause or causes of delay will be found through tests - none of which is in the least alarming . ( a brief description of what is likely to be involved is given in my free newsheet entitled routine fertility tests . 