A masseuse who is not a trained nurse should take pains to become expert in bandaging. What is required of her is that she should know how to apply the roller-bandage to the limbs. Not only should she take lessons from a competent teacher, but she should keep up continual practice.

Bandages are made of a variety of material—rubber, various woven stuffs, flannel, domette, muslin, unbleached and bleached calico, etc.

They are elastic, semi-elastic, and non-elastic.

They are of different widths :

For the fingers 0.75 inch.

For the hand 1 inch

For the arm 1.5 to 2 inches.

For the shoulder 2.5 to 3 inches

For the foot 2.5 inches

For the leg 2.5 inches

For the thigh 3 inches

The bandage is tightly rolled and held transversely in the hand. The outside of the roll is applied to the inside of the limb, and the bandaging is done from the inside to the outside over the front of the limb, except in specially named cases. It is done from below upwards.

The pressure is firm and equal, but never too tight. The terminal end of the bandage is secured by a safety-pin, or it may be slit and tied.

In taking off the bandage, it is gathered up in the hand as it is unrolled.

The roller-bandage is used as a—

1.   Circular bandage, when each turn simply covers completely the preceding turn.

2.   As a simple spiral bandage, when the turns are made in a spiral direction, each turn covering two-thirds of the preceding turn. This is applied to parts which vary little in circumference, such as the lower part of the forearm and leg.

3.   As a reverse spiral, when the turns are made in a spiral direction ; but in order to make it lie smoothly and firmly, and to adapt it to parts which vary in circumference, it is reversed on itself. Thus, after a few simple spiral turns to fix the free end, the roll or body of the bandage being held in one hand, the thumb or index-finger of the other hand is placed over the lower border of the bandage on the outer side of the limb ; the bandage is then reversed downwards—that is, the upper border is turned over till it becomes the lower border—passing over the fixed thumb or finger ; it is then carried under the limb to the opposite side, and the reverse is repeated above the preceding one.

The oblique bandage is a sort of wide spiral : the edges do not overlap or even meet. It is used for keeping dressings in place.

Perhaps the most useful of all forms of roller bandaging is the figure of eight, which is made by passing the bandage alternately upwards and downwards, over and under the limb, making the figure with each double turn.

The spica is a modification of the figure of eight. The ordinary spica is used over joints ; the divergent spica is also used over joints, but covers in the large prominences, such as the heel, point of shoulder, etc.

Care must be taken in applying a rubber bandage not to stretch it. It is used to give support in cases of varicose veins, and to prevent swelling from any cause. It is called ' Martin's bandage.'

The cases in which a bandage should not be applied in the usual way from within outward are : (a) In case of fracture of the femur, when each outward turn would tend to increase outward rotation already existing ; (b) in talipes valgus, when it would tend to increase the inversion of the foot, while, if commenced on the outside and brought inwards, each turn would tend to evert the foot ; (c) in cases of ulnar flexion of the hand on the same principle.

To Apply a Bandage.—Place the limb in the position in which it is to be kept, and stand in front of it ; if it is the upper limb, bend the elbow, with the palm inwards and thumb upwards.