1. A series of one hundred consecutive cases of trochanteric fractures treated conservatively by the authors has been reviewed.

2. Analysis of the results obtained and a study of the relevant literature has led us to the firm conclusion that the routine treatment of this group of fractures should be conservative.

3. Internal fixation should be reserved for those exceptional cases where traction is found to be inadequate: this is specially likely in cases associated with an upper motor neuron lesion, where difficulty is experienced in maintaining reduction owing to muscle spasm.

4. The basal type of fracture offers a special problem because it merges imperceptibly into that of the true transcervical fracture. No difficulty has been experienced in this series in the conservative treatment of such fractures, but we recognise that they might well be regarded as a variety of transcervical fracture and treated by nailing in order to avoid the risk of non-union.