Ununited fractures, new operation for / by Matthew Hill.

  • Hill, Matthew.
Date:
[1875]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Ununited fractures, new operation for / by Matthew Hill. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    / ‘ / I ' L. 4- UNUNITED FRACTURES,^NEW OPERATION FOR. By MATTHEW HILL, P.R.C.S., M.R.C.P. E., Booxie, Liteepooe. The operation to which I devote the following pages I have ventured to call “ new” but it might with less brevity, but greater accuracy, be described as “ a new modification of Dieffenbach’s operation.^’ This latter consists in opening up the seat of fracture, and driving ivory pegs into the ends of the bony frag- ments, with the intention of exciting such an amount of inflammatory action as will result in the throwing-out of reparative material to be afterwards consolidated into callus. The theory and practice of this operation has had the sanction of the highest surgical authorities and a large share of success since it was originated in 1845, and still continues to hold its ground, notwithstanding the many other aspirants to surgical favour which have appeared. It may not be out of place here if I make a short resume of the different procedures which from time to time have been recommended and adopted to cause bony union in those troublesome fractures. The number and variety alone of the plans should suffice to prove the intractability of these cases, and the hopelessness of finding any one a panacea for all. As an aid to memory and comparison it may be convenient to divide these remedial measures into three classes, viz.:—First, those which do not alter the fracture from its “ simple ” or unexposed condition. Amongst such are blisters* and other stimulating applications to the skin friction of the broken ends of the bones against each othersubcutaneous scarification ;§ acu- puncture by needles, hot, cold, or galvanic ;H malleting the fracture; compression,^ &c. In the second class may be in- * Brodie, Walker, Velpeau. § C. Bell, Blaiidin, Miller. t Malgaigne, Eleurj', Buchanan. || Malgaigne, Wiescl, Rrennan. J Cclsus, White, Hunter. It Amesbury, Bonnet.