LOWER EXTREMITY.
Gunshot Fracture of the Tibia and Fibula.
The fibular side of the leg lay next to the plate, as the distinct and not exaggerated outlines of the fibula can be seen in the dense shadow of the tibia. The wound, as indicated by the callous tissue, is shown in a state of repair, after the larger detached fragments of the fracture had been removed. The wound was caused by a missile carrying considerable energy. The small particles of metal marking the course of the missile show it was a shrapnel ball.
Plate 138.
Shrapnel—Plate 138.
LOWER EXTREMITY.
Gunshot Fracture of the Right Tibia and Fibula.
This plate shows a type of wound caused by a number of fragments of a shrapnel ball or other similar missile. The missile was deformed by a near-by ricochet, from which large and small fragments struck simultaneously and distributed themselves over a large area. The larger fragments carried enough energy to fracture the bone by transmitting all of their energy in lodgment and by possibly breaking up into smaller fragments.
In this case the energy of the missile was transmitted to the tibia, with fracture and great fragmentation of the bone. The fracture of the tibia was secondary, resulting from indirect violence, due to the loss of the support of the tibia.
Plate 139.