h a fracture is illustrated by the skiagram of a femur in
plate XVI. in which the bullet traversed the soft parts transversely at
the level of the centre of the fracture, which was 9 inches in length.
In another case the line of fracture occupied the lower third of the
femur, passing from the inner border of the shaft, the lower end of the
upper fragment was formed by the compact tissue forming the outer wall
of the external condyle. This latter perforated the vastus externus and
lay beneath the skin; as it could not be disentangled, an incision was
made over it, and the fragments when reduced were screwed together by
Mr. S. W. F. Richardson. In neither fracture was there any comminution.
Such fractures most nearly resemble the oblique or spiral ones met with
in civil practice as the results of falls. In all the instances I
observed the patients were supported on the lower extremities at the
time of the accident, and one can only assume that a twist of the trunk
consequent on the fall of the body diverts the most forcible vibrations
resulting from the impact of the bullet into one line, and thus produces
a solution of continuity of a simple oblique nature. In both the cases
mentioned above the bullet was probably travelling at a low degree of
velocity; in the first it was a ricochet and was retained. I never saw
one of these fractures in the upper extremity.

Plate XXI. affords an excellent example of this mechanism. The patient
was standing when struck, and then fell backwards. An incomplete fissure
7 inches in length is seen to extend from an otherwise pure perforation
of the shaft of the tibia.

5. _Transverse fractures._--Throughout these were of very rare
occurrence. Plate XX. illustrates a pure transverse fracture produced by
passing contact of a bullet probably fired at a distance not exceeding
400 yards, and which subsequently struck the fibula plumb and produced
considerable comminution. No fissure extended into the ankle-joint.
Comminutions such as that illustrated by plate V. more or less simulated
transverse fractures, but I saw no examples of transverse tracks
comparable to the oblique ones described above 'cut through' the shaft
of a bone.

6. _Perforations._--Although these were common in cancellous bone, they
were comparatively rare in the compact shafts. I saw, however, complete
pure perforations of the shafts of the tibia, femur, clavicle, and other
bones. These perforations were, I believe, always t