A MODIFICATION OF LEG TRACTION

To cure the fracture at the expense of the skin is a too frequent occurrence in the initial and conservative management of fractures of the hip and thigh. The skin of the geriatric patient is usually lacking in adequate sebaceous protection and is somewhat dehydrated because of the change in the mucoprotein base substance, which acts as a hydrophilic agent in maintaining hydration of the skin. In such skin it is not unusual that there be a great susceptibility to even the minutest trauma, and with trauma, a rapid secondary infection. Interstitial edema with a decrease in the adequacy of the skin circulation will aggravate the potentialities of skin trauma even more. In a young patient, the skin may be capable of withstanding contact trauma, but, owing to the ever-increasing number of sensitive people, it may not be able to tolerate chemical contact without developing one of the many epidermal