Shortening of limbs after fracture / by Lewis A. Sayre.

  • Sayre, Lewis A. (Lewis Albert), 1820-1900.
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Shortening of limbs after fracture / by Lewis A. Sayre. 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.

    8/18 (page 6)
    union of fractured bones could occur without short- ening. “ Dr. Hamilton, along with Dr. Sands, had made a personal examination of the cases in his (Sayre’s) wards. Dr. Hamilton acknowledged that there were some cases in which he could find no shortening, and had stated that if he could bring seven consecutive cases together he would admit the principle.* Dr. Gregory, of Missouri, had yesterday asserted, and to-day repeats it, that it was impossible for union to occur without shortening. This, and the fact that recently cases had come under his notice, when the bones were not replaced for nine days, had deter- mined him on appearing here, whereas some time ago he had deemed it unnecessary, supposing the matter had been fully brought before the profession byDrs. St. John, Crosby, and Bryant. When he considered that at this day there were some men who still waited for the swelling of the soft parts to subside before adjustment, he thought there were some men in the profession needing instruction in the treatment of fractures.” Let us now see how Dr. Hamilton interprets this reply. On page 437 of his new work he says : “ Attention has already been called, in the chapter on General Prognosis, to the published statements of Dr. Sayre relating to this subject; but it will be necessary to note again in this place that he asserts that all fractures of the femur may be made to unite without shortening,f and to add that in proof of the latter assertion, 33r. Sayre, at the meeting of the American Medical Association, in Detroit, Michigan, in 1874, declared, when the accuracy of his measure- ments was called in question by some of the gentle- men present, that he knew his measurements were correct, that Dr. Prank Hamilton had made the measurements, and that he was a man who was so * I was told these facts by some members of the house staff, who said they had asked Dr. Hamilton to make the measurements as I had re- quested. The subjoined letters will prove conclusively that I was per- fectly authorized to make the statement. t No such assertion can be found in anything I ever wrote, and I never made such an assertion orally.