It would not be possible or
desirable here to describe all the movements which a skilful rubber
makes in his treatment, and I have only attempted a skeleton-statement.
It will perhaps be noticed by those familiar with the technique of
massage that nothing is here said about the use of the movements classed
under the general head of "tapotement," the tapping and slapping
motions. They have no proper place in the treatment of cases of
nervousness, and usually will serve only to irritate and annoy the
patient, and often greatly to increase the nervous excitement. Their
routine use or over-use constitutes one of the defects of the system of
massage as usually practised by the Swedish operators; and when patients
tell me, as many do, that "they cannot stand massage," it is often found
that the performance of a great deal of this useless and fretting
manipulation has constituted a great part of the treatment, and that
deep, thorough, quiet kneading can be perfectly borne.
A few precautions are necessary to observe. The grasping hand should
carry the skin with it, not slip over the skin, as the drag thus put
upon the hairs will, if daily repeated, cause troublesome boils.
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