Orthopraxy : the mechanical treatment of deformities, debilities, and deficiencies of the human frame / by Henry Heather Bigg.

  • Bigg, Henry Heather, 1826-1881.
Date:
1869
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Orthopraxy : the mechanical treatment of deformities, debilities, and deficiencies of the human frame / by Henry Heather Bigg. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    II.—Debilities. The chief forms of debility of the upper extremity, which admit of being ameliorated by mechanical aid, are as follows: 1. Drop-shoulder. 2. Paralysis of the Forearm. 3. Drop-wrist. 4. Contracted Fingers. 5. {a) Writers' or Scriveners' Cramp. {b) Compositors' Cramp. {c) Musicians' Cramp. {d) Shoemakers' Cramp. (e) Sempstresses' Cramp. 1. Drop-shoulder.—This condition arises either from laxity of the ligaments which maintain the head of the humerus in apposition with the glenoid cavity, or from paralysis of the deltoid and scapular muscles. When the ligaments have lost their elasticity and become extended, the head of the humerus falls out of the glenoid cavity— there is permanent dislocation of the shoulder. Oc- casionally, from laxity of those ligaments which hold the head of the humerus in its natural cavity, it admits of being readily displaced by the slightest exertion, such as putting on a coat, &c. For these cases of anterior luxation of the shoulder-joint, I have devised a very simple apparatus, which can be worn without the least inter- ference with dress or the natural movement of the arm. It consists of a curved spring like an epaulette, which grasps the head of the bone and holds it in position. The straps (which have the direction of a figure of 8) are 8