Chap, xxiii.] THE ANKLE AND FOOT. 



4*7 



The tarsal bones, owing to their spongy 

 character, are readily broken by direct violence, as in 

 e crushes. The soft parts that cover these bones 

 being scanty upon the dor- 

 sal aspect of the foot, it 

 follows that these accidents 

 are often compound and 

 associated with much lacer- 

 ation of the integuments. 



The tarsal bone the 

 most frequently fractured 

 is the os calcis. This bone 

 may be broken by a fall 

 upon the heel, and in many 

 instances has been the only 

 one fractured by such an 

 accident. A few cases have 

 been recorded of fracture 

 of the calcaneuin by mus- 

 cular violence, the muscles 



producing the lesion being 



those attached to the tendo 



Achillis. Thus, Sir A. 



Cooper reports the case of 



a woman, aged forty-two, 



in whom a large fragment 



of the posterior part of the 



os calcis was torn away 



by the muscles and drawn 



some two and a half inches 



away from the heeL The 



accident was caused by her 



taking a false step. Abel 



has collected three cases 



of fracture of the sustenta- 



culum tali. He believes 



that this injury may be 



