"TREATMENT OF OSTEOMYELITIS WITH MAGGOT ACTIVE PRINCIPLE"

To the Editor:  —In order that a statement made by the authors of a paper on the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis with the use of the maggot active principle in The Journal, April 2, may not go unchallenged and thereby influence its readers to believe that the optimism therein expressed is true and adopt it, and thus reflect incalculable harm on future patients coming for treatment of compound fractures, I wish to express my absolute disagreement with the treatment for compound fractures as hinted at on page 1147: "The presence of infection in compound wounds is not an indication for delayed surgery or for the introduction of a Lane plate when such procedures are accompanied by live maggots or the maggot active principle treatment or the combination of these."The general surgical problem of the treatment of compound fractures is already too confused. We have been advised to do everything