When support is required for a joint, the splint should be fitted on the sides, where the leather may have the rigidity of its width rather than only that of its thickness to prevent bending. =Leather Splint for the Hip.=—This joint is by far the most difficult to fit. The hip splint should obtain a good grasp of its fixed point, the pelvis, and a stiff bearing on the front of the thigh where its pressure is to be exerted. There are many plans of procuring a satisfactory fit; the following is one of the best. First cut a pattern on a sheet of paper from which to shape the leather. If possible the patient should stand while the pattern is fitting. Take a sheet of paper large enough to reach round the body, and long enough to extend from the waist to the leg below the knee. Lay it against the diseased hip, carry its vertical margin a little beyond the middle line in front towards the sound side, and the other part round the body behind, till the front is reached on the sound side. Feel for the anterior iliac spine, and mark with a pencil the point midway between it and the pubis; from this draw one horizontal line inwards to the border of the paper, and a second obliquely to the perinæum. Then seek for the junction of the sacrum and iliac bone behind, which corresponds pretty nearly to the point first found in front; from this mark the gluteal fold. Next carry a line vertically from the upper border of the sheet of paper to the great trochanter; and lastly, mark the level of the pelvis. Lay the sheet on a table and slit it with scissors along the lines marked, apply it a second time to the body and bend the thigh part round the thigh, making its anterior margin reach well to the inside of the limb, while the posterior part should almost meet it from behind. The splint should also reach downwards to the back of the knee. The paper is then trimmed down to these dimensions. The hip part is next trimmed so that it clears the buttock on the sound side and passes round to the anterior iliac spine of that side. The pattern being complete, cut a piece of sole-leather to correspond, arranging that the hair or _short_ side of the leather will lie next the skin; bevel off the outer edge all round, and soak the leather till thoroughly soft in water, wipe it dry, and bandage it carefully first to the trunk and next to the thigh. When it is set, superfluous and overlapping edges must be marked before removal; lastly, the sides of the vertical notch, between the hip and trochanter, are stitched together, and the splint is covered with wash-leather. [Illustration: Fig. 59.—Leather splint for the hip.] When extension of the hip is required (see page 80), it can be applied to the leg below the splint without lessening the support that affords. The accompanying figure, 59, is drawn from a splint fitted by Mr. Heather Bigg on the plan just described.