"As the school has just announced the fall trip will be to a ski resort," Hannibal said, "I thought we would cover some of the more common issues and injuries at such a place. This week, you will learn about broken bones."

Frederick Chilton this week had had virtually every bone broken, so welcome, students.

"As has been noted," he nodded to Peridot assuming she's there, "the human body is fragile. Bones are one of the denser portions of the human body, but enough pressure can still break them."

He thought for a moment, then pressed a few more buttons and called up an anatomical skeleton. "This is a human skeleton; you can see that there are bones throughout much of the body's structure; over two hundred of them in total in a standard adult human. Some, such as the arms and legs, run down the center and offer structural support. Others, such as the ribs," he indicated them, "surround and protect the organs. The skull," he knocked on it, "does both."

He waved at the bones. "They also produce blood, and help to store and metabolize minerals. So, they are important for a number of reasons. And they are not solid - that is important to remember."

He went back to Chilton. "The first part of giving aid to someone with a broken bone is determining if the bone is in fact broken. Some cases may be obvious." He gestured at one of Chilton's arms, which was bent in a way it definitely shouldn't be. "Because bones are rigid, if you see something bending that should not be, that is a good indication. Another is a part of the bone protruding through the skin." He pointed at a shin that did just that. "If neither of those is the case, look for heavy bleeding or bruising, swelling, and either numbness or intense pain, which gets worse when you move the bone in the area. Sometimes, you may be able to feel a break you cannot quite see." He pointed at Chilton's upper arm, which only showed a bruise.

"Once you determine a bone is broken, there are a number of steps you can take. First, if they are bleeding, do your best to stop it, as we discussed last week. Next, immobilize it. If the bone moves, the break may worsen or develop complications. If the break is on an extremity, you can splint it; if you suspect a bone in the neck or back is broken, keep the individual as still as possible. Apply cold to the area - an ice pack or ice cubes. Treat the person for shock - we'll cover that more in depth in a later class, but get them comfortable and warm overall."

He held up Chilton's hand and demonstrated. "For immobilizing fingers or toes, the easiest thing is to tape the injured digit to the adjacent ones. Fingers are also long enough you may be able to use a small stick or other stiff object to back them. Remember, you want to make certain to wrap the tape on both sides of each joint, to immobilize the entire finger. You want the wrapping to be secure, but not tight enough to cut off blood flow." He showed them both a finger and a toe.

"For an arm or leg, the procedure is much the same, only on a larger scale. You want to immobilize from the joint above the fracture to the one below it. Find a stiff object, and secure the limb to it. For arms, though less so for legs, you can also elect to use a sling." He demonstrated how to place and tie one properly.

"For rib fractures, treat any bleeding or other symptoms you can, but otherwise leave it alone; splinting or taping ribs can lead to lung problems. For head fractures, again, treat the symptoms, but get them to medical help and don't bother splinting; as the skull is not jointed, it is unlikely to move on its own without further pressure or injury. For the neck or spine, if the person is in a safe location, simply keep them as still as possible - perhaps brace either side of their neck with cloth or another soft item. Don't allow them to move. If they are not in a safe location and you will need to move them, do your best to keep their head, neck, and spine aligned as you do so." He showed them how to properly roll someone, which was easier with at least two people, and how to secure them to an improvised backboard.

"So, we've had a skiing incident in the simulation," he said cheerfully, pushing buttons and calling up a snowy area (and a number of coats for the students) with a number of people with broken arms, legs, and other bones. "See what you can do."