Medullary Nailing of Küntscher

This book, originally published in German as the third volume of Böhler's work on fractures, is most welcome. Medullary nailing has not been extensively used in this country, nor has there been much of a tendency to add it to our armamentarium. Böhler presents the subject objectively and in a comprehensive manner. The treatise is based on a study of hundreds of cases and many thousands of roentgenograms. He states clearly that the method has a narrow field of application. In his own words, "It is evident that closed medullary nailing is suited chiefly for transverse fractures of the femur in the middle third and for localized osteitis fibrosa cystica, whereas in other fractures it frequently entails more disadvantages than advantages." He emphatically is opposed to its use by open operation and presents conclusive evidence to disclaim the original contention of Küntscher that the nail is a stimulus to formation