1. A predictable pattern of degeneration occurs on both the femoral head and the acetabulum and this pattern is age dependent. 2. The degenerative areas on the femoral head are related to habitual non-use. 3. The hip is shown to be anatomically incongruent, and the dome of the acetabulum, a predictable area of degeneration, is shown also to be an area of habitual non-use. 4. The possible relationships between age-dependent degenerative changes and senile degenerative joint disease is discussed and the importance of changing geometry stressed.
The collagen framework of articular cartilage is disposed, as in other connective tissues, to resist tension forces within the material. In this paper the fine structure of articular cartilage, as demonstrated by polarised light microscopy and electron microscopy, is related to the gross anatomy and to the naked eye changes of chondromalacia and fibrillation.
1. Haemorrhage into the fascial compartment which contains the iliacus muscle and the femoral nerve is a common complication of haemophilia. 2. The iliacus haematoma syndrome is described and illustrated from the authors' study of thirty episodes occurring in twenty-four patients. 3. The anatomy of the iliopsoas fascia is described and the mechanism of femoral nerve compression explained. 4. Differential diagnosis, prognosis and treatment are discussed and the necropsy findings in one patient are presented. 5. An instance of iliacus haematoma occurring as a complication of anticoagulant therapy is recorded.
