Note 21 — A DISSERTATION ON THE Inutility of Amputation.

Felix Wurz and Gœuey cured, as may be seen in Heister's Surgery, t. 1. p. 183. the longitudinal fissures of the bone, by a suitable dressing, which is mentioned in the same place. If it should happen, what I have never yet had an opportunity of seeing, that the bone was split longitudinally as far as the joint, and that it appeared impossible to procure its coalition by means of proper dressings, I would make, taking care to avoid the blood vessels, two incisions, from the extremity of the stump to the joint, that should go as deep as the bone, and whose distance must depend on the breadth of the splinter to be extracted. I would raise up from the bone the flesh included between the two incisions, with a scalpel or myrtle-leaf, avoiding to hurt the blood vessels as much as possible; then, having detached the splinter, by means of the scalpel, from its adhesion with the ligaments of the joint, I would bring it away.

If the hemorrhage were considerable, before I extracted the bone, I would tie the vessels of the fleshy part which adhered to it; and after having removed the bone, I would undo the ligatures, restore the flesh to its place, take care of the small wounds made by the needles, and would dress the whole part in the manner already mentioned in this section.