Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-02-20
GROWING A NEW BONE.
A Boy Being Compensated by Nature
for the Loss of Part of a Leg.

A Boy Being Compensated by Nature
for the Loss of Part of a Leg.
The rare instance of new bone form
ing and extending itself from a sew
cred end of a bone in the leg, filing
space seven inches in length, exists in
the person of Boyd Folwell, 16 years,
who lives with his parents at 1S47
Wylie street. Last July an operation
was performed on him. A piece of
sheep bone was engrafted into the
leg, to replace a section of the tibia,
which had become diseased and was
removed. Dr. Carl Vischer, who per-
formed the operation, said yesterday
that the graft was not a brilliant sue
cess, but the results which followed
were remarkable and entirely satisfac-
tory to him. After the failure of the
grated bone to unite with the ends of
the tibia, and Notwithstanding the
fact that the periostium had been de-
StrOyed, callous formed, he said, and
began to build up bone material from
the upper stump of the original bone
AS this new formation proceeded the
sheep bone which had been inserted
gradually dissolved.
This new bone has already extended
itself to almost unite with the lower
stump, the portions of the sheep bone
have been taken out, and the physician
hopes to see the formation continue
until the leg is perfectly united, when
the patient will be as sound physically
as any other boy. The sheep bon e
was taken out two months ago, and
the boy is now able to walk moder-
ately. Physicians are very much in
terested in the history of the case, in
stances where similar results followed
bone grating having been extremely
rare.
AS consequence of hurt or fever,
it is not decided which, the boys right
leg became sore early last summer,
and after an examination DR.. Vischer
discovered that the tibia was diseased.
After treating the leg some time the
surgeon saw that if he would save the
leg that portion of the bone which
moved. He decided upon the opera
ton, and on July took out a section
of the bone about seven inches in
length. This left a short stump below
the knee, but nothing at the ankle, the
bone being taken out to the socket
joint. DR.. Vischer then took a piece
of green bone from sheep and in
serted this in the leg.
Time went on, but the grating was
not satisfactory to DR.. Vischer and
about the middle of November he
made another examination. He dis
covered that the two bones had not
joined, and further noticed that from
the knee stump there had been free
discharge of protoplasms, forming
callous, and this growth was harden
ing and forming a new bone. He took
away the sheep bone, which had dis
solved because of lack of nOurishm9nt,
and putting brace on the leg closely
observed the growth, which has since
continued rapidly.
DR.. Vischer did not wish to speak at
length on the case. He said similar
ones were not infrequent, and he did
not regard it as strange. ''The por-
ton of bone taken off was about seven
inches long and it had to be done or
else the leg would have been lost"
said he. "The sheep bone was in
serted, but the grating was not a bril-
liant success. It was not a failure,
though, and proved again what fol-
lows in many cases of grating. The
growth we call callous and came from
the stump above. 1t is of the nature
of new bone formation. When the
periosteum is not removed from the
outside of the bone taken out new ma
terial will form. But here the peri
osteum extended itself from the old
bone.
This growth is hal dening rs it
proceeds, and while as yet it has not
fully united and a perfect new bone
formed. I think it may. The boy is
now able TO wax a little, and in a
short time I expect he will be able 10
throw away his crutches entirely
When Press reporter knocked at
the residence of the lads parents the
loor was opened by Boyd himself,
who half walked with the assistance
of a crutch. He said:
Il am now able to walk little, and
in a short time I expect 20 walk as
well as ever. My leg is getting
stronger every day. The bone, l be-
lieve, is getting pretty strong by this
time"
Mrs. Folwell is delighted with the
of an entirely new bone in
her sons leg, and thinks it will be but
a short time until he will be perfectly
cured. 81 really do not know much
about the foot" she said, "but my boy
is getting along very nicely. The doc
tor wants him to learn to walk on the
right leg, and ne can do so without
fatigue for short time "-PhiIadel
phia Press.