In reviewing the general literature on the subject of fractures and their treatment, one is impressed with the fact that one injury, and only one, is regarded as a hopeless proposition—fracture of the neck of the femur. The more modern authors mention various forms of treatment and concede the possibility of the union of such a fracture, but the general tone adopted is one of discouragement and disillusionment. In one of our best known textbooks,1 the section on treatment of this injury begins: "The first indication is to save life." In the section on fractures of the skull and of the pelvis, notably grave conditions, the author says nothing about life saving as a primary indication for treatment. Indeed, one would suppose that life saving was the essential preliminary to any treatment, and that it might be taken for granted. Why, then, is its necessity emphasized in connection with