Desmoid tumours are not common but have a distinct resemblance to fibrosarcomata. Their clinical appearance and progress should be recognised since failure to distinguish them from sarcomata could result in extensive and unnecessarily mutilating operations. Three cases of extra-abdominal desmoid tumours are reported. Two of the patients had tumours arising from multicentric foci in the same limb. The disappearance of the tumours in two patients after the menopause, and the variation in the tumours during the menstrual cycle in the third patient, add weight to the theories about endocrine control.

A method is described by which an artificial limb can be fitted as soon as an above-knee or below-knee amputation wound is healed, by using preformed sockets which enable the prosthetist to fit the limb within the hour. The method has been found safe, and better than other methods previously described to facilitate the early mobilisation and rehabilitation of the amputee.

Two cases of adamantinoma of the tibia are reported. The first patient has survived twenty years after above-knee amputation and shows no sign of recurrence. The second patient shows no evidence of recurrence two and a half years after amputation through the knee.

The clinical picture of the tumour is described and the theories of histogenesis are outlined.

1. Attention is drawn to the importance of taking tangential radiographs of the patella in all cases of injury to the knee, especially when there is difficulty in distinguishing between recurrent dislocation of the patella and tear of a meniscus.

2. New bone formation along the medial side of the patella confirms a diagnosis of recurrent dislocation.

3. The importance of Coleman's original observations is stressed.

1. Fracture of the neck of the femur in childhood and its complications are discussed.

2. The high incidence of these complications is not generally appreciated–in this series of twenty-four patients only eight achieved normal hip joints.

3. The complications are due to the arrangement of the blood supply to the head and neck. Avascular necrosis is unavoidable in a high proportion, and is not directly related to any particular method of treatment.

4. Extreme care and gentleness in handling the injured limb will help to reduce the incidence of deformities; internal fixation is not suitable for the very young as it may predispose to necrosis or may damage the epiphysis. In older children it can be used with care.

5. Where growth is still taking place in the limb the retention of the angle between neck and shaft is most important, as this will prevent coxa vara and progressive shortening with the consequent unsightly Trendelenburg limp.

1. Dislocation or sublaxation of the inferior radio-ulnar joint in association with fractures of the head of radius is discussed.

2. The incidence of the complication is greater than is generally supposed, and figures are given to support this finding.

3. The subluxation is not always associated with symptoms, and the degree of displacement may not be sufficient to be recognised clinically.

4. The anatomy and mechanism of the displacement have been investigated experimentally, and the results of the experiments are described.

1. A case is described in which a malignant tumour developed in the soft tissues at the site of a bone-plating operation performed thirty years before.

2. The plate and screws were found to be composed of dissimilar metals and a difference of potential existed between them.

3. A careful consideration of the history and clinical course indicates that the tumour arose because of the presence of the metals.

1. Previous papers on the subject of the os trigonum are reviewed.

2. Evidence is produced to show that the posterior part of the talus normally develops from separate centres.

3. An explanation is given for the presence in adults of separate ossicles (the so-called os trigonum) in one or both ankles and for the variety of shapes adopted by them.

4. Contrary to opinions expressed by previous writers, these ossicles may give rise to symptoms.

1. The anatomy of the forefoot in hallux valgus is compared with the normal, with a review of the literature and descriptions of anatomical preparations, observations at operation and radiographs.

2. The early and essential lesions are stretching of the ligaments on the medial side of the metatarso-phalangeal joint that attach the medial sesamoid and basal phalanx to the metatarsal, and erosion of the ridge that separates the grooves for the sesamoids on the metatarsal head.

3. In established hallux valgus a sagittal groove, formed where the cartilage is free from pressure by either the phalanx or the ligaments, cuts off a medial eminence, which articulates with the stretched ligaments, from a restricted area for the phalanx.

4. Apart from osteophytic lipping which squares off the outline of the eminence as it is seen in radiographs and a small amount of lipping of the ridge on the metatarsal there is no evidence of new bone growth. In chronic cases the eminence may degenerate or disappear.

5. The articular surfaces at the cuneo-metatarsal joint become adapted to the changed positions of the metatarsal without gross pathological change.

6. The four deep transverse ligaments that bind together the five plantar pads of the metatarso-phalangeal joints are not unduly stretched, so that as the metatarsals spread it is the ligaments that bind the pads to the heads of the metatarsals that give way.

7. The plantar metatarsal artery to the first space pursues a tortuous course between the two heads of the flexor hallucis brevis. In hallux valgus the course becomes still more tortuous and part of the pain experienced may be due to ischaemic effects.