1. The conservative school of treatment of fractures of the tibia, which bases part of its criticism of internal fixation on the ultimate risk of amputation, does not often publish its own rates of amputation.

2. Statistics from a hospital that treats one-third of closed fractured tibiae and two-thirds of compound fractures by internal fixation are therefore put up as a basis for criticism.

3. Comparisons are made with the few available statistics in the literature of conservative treatment.

4. Almost all of the causes for secondary amputation are now curable and in recent years the number of limbs being saved is increasing.

1. Two of the three metals at present in use in orthopaedic surgery have been studied to assess their tendency to cause wound reactions.

2. Cobalt-chrome alloy proved to be the better, the incidence of obligatory plate removal being at most 3 per cent. Visible corrosion in this metal never occurred.

3. 18/8 Mo stainless steel proved to be the poorer, the incidence of obligatory plate removal being 20 per cent. Visible corrosion of the metal is estimated to have occurred in about 5 per cent of screws inserted.

4. Regardless of such accelerating factors as metallic transfer, 18/8 Mo steel may have to be accepted as inherently more susceptible to corrosion than is cobalt-chrome alloy.

5. The qualities of two other stainless steels also became evident. Previous work describing the very bad situation arising from the use of EMS was confirmed. By contrast, a steel that was in use before 1951 gave little trouble. This steel was probably FSL.

1. A series of fractures of the forearm has been treated by exceptionally rigid internal fixation with a special plate and screws.

2. The plate and screws are described.

3. The results of rigid fixation are found to be: i) reliability of union, and ii) good final function.

4. The lessons learned regarding the application of the plate and the after-treatment of the forearms are recounted.