TREATMENT OF NON-UNION OF FRACTURES

A fracture which has been apparently. properly reduced and treated according to the orthodox manner is supposed to go on to successful healing. Fortunately, this is usually the case. Occasionally, however, without any apparent cause, union fails to occur, and such an outcome is both distressing to the patient and embarrassing to the surgeon. Theoretically, bone should repair perfectly, as it belongs to the connective tissue group of tissues that are simple in construction and consequently easy of repair. We know that simple tissues repair readily, whereas the more complicated tissues, such as brain and epithelial and glandular structures, either do not repair at all, or else very imperfectly after a prolonged time. This is a simple, common-sense, biologic law that we would naturally expect. The exception in the case of bone is more apparent than real. The general connective tissueframe-work of the bone is built up even where no