In 1916, we reported1 an experiment (Experiment 1, Dog 7, New Series) in which the second metatarsal bone of a dog 10 weeks old was transposed into the bed left by the removal of the second metatarsal of the opposite forefoot. As we stated, three months and twenty-six days after the transposition, the bone had not only survived but had actually grown in length and circumference.
A roentgenogram taken recently reveals that the growth of the transplanted bone has not kept pace with the other bones of the foot either in length or circumference, though it has lived and performed its function for two years.
Conclusions have often been drawn from experiments of short duration, when a more prolonged observation would show that there was a handicap because of the transposition that could not be completely overcome. If this experiment had been done on a dog that remained small,