346 Surgical Diseases and Surgery of the Dog 



ivory, cork, fresh bone procured from other animals, and decalcified 

 bone. But it was soon found that implantation of all these sub- 

 stances was followed, as a rule, by their more or less rapid and com- 

 plete absorption and the development in their stead of fibrous tissue 

 which became ossified according as there remained sufficient peri- 

 osteum, or not. 



The practice of heteroplasty (i. e., where implanted portions of 

 fresh bone were taken from individuals of a different species) regu- 

 larly resulted in encapsulation and absorption and rather hindered 

 than hastened repair of the defect. Likewise portions of ivory and 

 decalcified bone played but a temporary role and were very apt to 

 induce pressure-atrophy or necrosis. 



Recently, however, Morton has claimed to have successfully 

 supplied a deficiency of bone in a man by transplantation from a 

 dog, vascular attachment being maintained while the regenerative 

 process was going on, the animal being securely bound to the patient 

 for several days to secure this object. 



Senn Advises "the packing of bone cavities with decalcified bone 

 cut in thin slices or chips. If the periosteum is carefully sewn over 

 the wound with catgut, repair is said to be much quicker than with- 

 out the implantation, the chips serving as a temporary nidus for 

 advancing granulations which permeate in all directions, until the 

 embryonic tissue becomes sufficiently organized. 



In the skull discs of decalcified bone gave more favorable re- 

 sults in as far as they formed a mechanical protective covering which 

 became encapsulated. Senn says that the implantation of decalci- 

 fied bone in skull wounds prevents direct union between the peri- 

 cranium and the brain or its membranes, and that a cavity two inches 

 long a-nd five-sixteenths of an inch wide will fill with new bone in 

 from seventy-five to ninety days. Repair is much more rapid in 

 young than in old animals. Darkschewitsch and Weidenhammer 

 have also observed normal bone development in place of implanted 

 decalcified bone plates, in skull wounds. Decalcified bone is obtained 

 by steeping fresh living bone in ten per cent nitric acid or dilute 

 muriatic acid. It is then immersed in a weak solution of caustic 

 potash to remove the acid and preserved in two-tenths of one per 

 cent alcoholic sublimate solution. 



Homoplasty (i. e., the transplantation of living bone from 

 another individual of the same species) gave doubtful results. In 



