The bullet lies at a very slight angle with the plate, as is shown by the curved outline of its base, which condition alone would give a projection shadow somewhat shorter than the bullet. But as the shadow is actually somewhat longer than the bullet (about one-eighth inch, or one-tenth its length), the position of the bullet is some distance from the plate and most probably lies behind the tibia, at the inside of the fibula.
Plate 71.
Rifle—Plate 71.
LOWER EXTREMITY.
Gunshot Fracture of the Fibula.
The course of the bullet was anteroposterior through the lower third of the leg, striking the fibula squarely, passing through the bone with a perforating effect, accompanied by slight fragmentation and with a reduced velocity of long range.
The wounds of entrance and exit would be almost the same in appearance. Asepsis in such cases is the almost invariable rule, and the treatment after the simple dressing is that of a simple fracture.
Plate 72.
