408 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I76O. 



that it wns equally unlikely under these circumstances there should be any dislo- 

 cation. For the right leg, when placed by the side of the other leg, was exactly 

 parallel to it, and continued so, unless the patient, either when asleep or at any 

 other time, moved his body, so as to drag his leg: in that case the toe was 

 always found inclining inwards and the heel outward; but never so but that it 

 might be replaced, without the least difficulty or pain to him, but just so as one 

 might have done by a limb that was paralytic. They therefore recommended rest, 

 hoping that further rest and time would recover the perfect ease and strength of 

 the limb. But some days passing without any alteration, Mr. Y. gave him a 

 strona; purgative, and repeated it every other or every 3d day, for several times, 

 in order to reduce the muscles, that he might the more plainly feel any thing 

 through them. For though he was in point of height but middle sized, he was 

 pretty fleshy, and the glutaei muscles consequently too thick to suffer any thing 

 to be felt with any degree of distinctness through them. This answered his ex- 

 pectation fully ; for by repeating the purgative often and at short intervals, his 

 living sparingly, and being confined to his bed, he became much emaciated, in- 

 somuch that the head of the femur was plainly felt through the muscles, dislo- 

 cated backward, and lying in the space between the, os ischium and os sacrum. 

 Of this he acquainted the gentlemen who had examined it before, and desired 

 them to examine it a 2d time, which they did Sept. 25, and were immediately 

 convinced that the os femoris was dislocated, and that it was the head of the 

 bone which was felt through the glutaei muscles, in the space between the ischium 

 and sacrum. 



To the head of the bone's lying in this place, it was probably owing that Mr. 

 Y. was at first deceived; since its being there allowed a greater latitude of mo- 

 tion, than could possibly have been the case any where else; which may serve to 

 account for the parallelism of the limb to that of the other, notwithstanding a 

 luxation. But on turning the foot inward and outward by turns, while an assist- 

 ant laid his hand on the head of the bone, a grating was perceived, both by them 

 and the patient. This somewhat surprised them at first; but as this grating was 

 never to be perceived without pressing pretty hardly on the head of the bone at 

 the time the limb was turned round, and as the head of the bone was plainly 

 felt to turn round, whenever the thigh had that motion given to it, they con- 

 cluded it could be nothing but the side of the head of the femur against the 

 edge of the ischium. 



Convinced of this, they determined to make an extension: and to that end, 

 brought him to the foot of the bed, and placed him on his back, with the bed's 

 post between his thighs, which was wrapped round with cloths, to prevent its 

 galling him. A napkin was tied round his leg at the ancle, which two assistants 

 pulled by, while a 3d turned the knee outward, and he had his hand on the 



