The fourth volume of Progress in Orthopaedic Surgery is somewhat different from pre vious publications of the series. The editors have again tried to present two topics but the publications presented from the European literature are of very recent origin. In the age of total joint replacement it was felt to be imperative to counteract the pre sent tendency to treat every joint which does not seem to be healthy with an artificial re placement. Orthopaedic surgery seems to be influenced by trends. In 1963, E. A. Nichol discussing intracapsular hip fractures, quoted from Alice In Wonderland in...

In the past 10-15 years marked progress has been made in the surgical treatment of congenital anomalies of the hand. More and more, the reluctance to operate on these deformities has been abandoned. One reason for this - at least in the German-speaking countries - was the thalidomide catastrophe (1959-1962), which involved the birth of many children with deformed upper limbs. These previously rare severe abnormalities resulted in many problems and required new ways of thinking in terms of their treatment by all persons concerned with their care. At the same time hand surgery was beginning to...

Recent experience of the treatment of segmental idiopathic necrosis of the femoral head are discussed in this book by several experts. The discussed methods oftreatment are practically unknown in the US orthopaedic literature. It describes alternate methods of treatment with regard to total joint replacement In Chapter 1 Dr. Wagenhauser expresses his thoughts on posture and its affects on the human body. The following 7 chapters focus on diagnosis and treatment of idio pathic necrosis of the femoral head - an especially timely subject since the incidence of this disease, which primarily...