THE SKELETON AND ITS JOINTS 345 
apparently separating the head from the neck, the former 
being dislocated to the upper angle of the obturator fora- 
men. Everywhere about the joint callus had been thrown 
out, but not in a manner to effect a junction of the broken 
ends nor to seal the edge of the acetabulum to the femoral 
neck. This was probably due in part to the irregularity 
of the line of fracture and to the interposition of the 
upper part of the dislocated head between the lower rim 
of the acetabulum and the surgical neck of the bone. 
When the specimen was fresh traces of capsule were 
found over the upper half of the acetabulum. While it is 
usually difficult to decide the manner in which these 
injuries effect their damage and deformity, it might be 
ventured to explain this case as due to extreme postero- 
lateral extension of the leg driving the head of the femur 
downward and inward, rupturing the capsule and the 
ligament bridging the acetabular notch, to rest on the 
pubis at the upper edge of the obturator foramen where 
it could find a sort of joint cavity made by the pubic and 
ischial segments of the old acetabulum, but about an inch 
and a half below its normal location. 
Another injury to the hip joint was noted in a Living- 
stone 's eland (Taurotragus oryx livingstonii). This 
beast was not positively known to have fallen, although it 
was suspected that such an accident had occurred by 
reason of sudden inability to rise. At autopsy, death 
having succeeded on signs of shock, a complete upward 
and backward dislocation of the right femoral head was 
found ; there was also an intracapsular rupture of the left 
round ligament, but on this side the femoral head had not 
left the acetabular cavity. 
Many other fractures have been observed but gen- 
erally without interesting features. The conclusions 
which may be drawn from our experience are that 
animals with long bones, and liable to chase have the 
greatest liability to fractures, and that the healthy beast, 
23 
