On the diagnosis of fractures of the neck of the femur / by Robert William Smith.

  • Smith, Robert William, 1807-1873.
Date:
[1834]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the diagnosis of fractures of the neck of the femur / by Robert William Smith. 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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    against the ball of that of the opposite foot; and in the third, it is still less complete, the great toe merely turning towards the opposite one.” Attention, therefore, to the degree of inversion, as indicated by the position of the great toe, throws some light upon the nature of the injury, which is rendered still more evi- dent, by observing the facility (so far as mechanical resistance is concerned) with which, in the case of fracture, the foot may be everted, the thigh flexed upon the abdomen, and the limb restored to its natural length by extension, and comparing its free, loose, powerless condition, with its almost immoveably fixed state in dislocation. For the following very interesting case, I am indebted to my friend, Mr. Power, one of the demonstrators at the Rich- mond School of Anatomy. Doolan, set. 75, was admitted into Jervis-street Hospital, under the care of Mr. Adams, Fe- bruary 17th, 1.831, labouring under a severe injury of the hip joint. The limb presented the following appearances : the hip was considerably swollen; the trochanter major appeared twice its natural size, and drawn up on a level with the anterior supe- rior spine of the ilium; a considerable hollow was evident in the groin ; the limb was shortened four inches; the foot was inverted; rotation outwrards could be performed, but imper- fectly, and was attended with severe pain : on making extension and rotating the limb, an indistinct crepitus was perceptible. The patient stated that on February 1st, while endeavouring to unlock a door, he fell upon a heap of stones, upon the left hip; on attempting to rise, he found himself unable to do so, and in this state was carried to the hospital. The appearance ot the limb excited a good deal of interest; and it was supposed that from its previous history, something might be elicited to clear up the doubts which existed as to the immediate cause of its pre- sent appearance. However, all that could be ascertained was, that many years ago he noticed a stiffness in that hip ; that gra- dually the limb became shorter and shorter; that he contracted a halt, but that he never was confined to his bed in consequence