On the treatment of genu valgum without division of bone / by Henry F. Baker.

  • Baker, Henry Francis.
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the treatment of genu valgum without division of bone / by Henry F. Baker. 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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    : ' V \ OxN THE TREATMENT OF GENU VALGUM WITHOUT DIVISION OF BONE. It is not my intention to enter into the respective merits of the several operations for the cure of genu valgum. Whatever opinion may be held as to the risk of cutting into the knee-joint or producing a com- pound fracture in its immediate neighbourhood, I think all surgeons will agree that, in many of the cases that come under their notice, especially in private practice, the deformity is not of so serious a nature that the proposal to perform a severe operation would be entertained by them, or consented to by the friends of the patient. It is a matter of great importance, however, that the treatment of these cases should not be neglected, more especially because, if they be not entirely cured, tilting of the pelvis must take place, and this is necessarily followed by lateral curvature of the spine. I shall be forgiven, probably, for going somewhat into detail with regard to the treatment of these cases, and mentioning what must appear to be very obvious directions to many of the Fellows of this Society. My excuse must be, that I am convinced by practical experi- ence that the neglect of very trifling points in the manufacture and adjustment of instruments in the treatment of all orthopaedic cases has been the frequent cause of disappointment and failure. Cases of genu valgum may be conveniently divided into two classes, viz.: (i) those that can be cured by gradual extension alone; and (2) those that can be cured by gradual extension after the subcutaneous division of tendon or ligament. The tendons or ligaments that may require division are the biceps femoris, the ilio-tibial band, and the external lateral ligament. Through the kindness of Mr. Eve, the Curator of the Museum at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, I am able to