chap, xxiii.] THE ANKLE AND FOOT. 



531 



The tarsal bones, owing to their spongy 

 character, are readily broken by direct violence, as in 

 severe 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 calcaneum 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 



Fig. 56. Oblique Antero-Posterior 

 Section of the Foot (Eiidiuger). 



1, Tibia ; 2, fllmla ; 3. astragalus 

 external lateral li 



ciilcis; 5, external lateral ligament: 

 6, internal lateral lijrament : 7, inter- 

 OMMMI* ligament lietweenMtnntu 



and os calcis : 8, head of astragalus ; 

 it. scaphoid; 10, 11, and 12, the three 

 cuneiform bones ; 13, cuboid. 



