That fractures of the long bones often occur without deformity, and indeed without many of the usual signs of fracture, is well known; still the absence of the usual signs may lead to the overlooking of the principal lesion at the first examination, and when this has happened, the subsequent condition may be quite disastrous to the attending physician at the second examination. A study of the clinical features of simple fractures, combined with the findings of the operator, should enable the careful observer to make a rather accurate diagnosis in most of the bone lesions brought to his attention.
Fractures without deformity may occur in the long bones at any age, but in adults these fractures are easily displaced and give the usual signs on examination. In children, loss of continuity without deformity has been noted in cases of epiphyseal separation, where there has been spontaneous reduction, or where