The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-04-05
Is Due Directly To AutOmO.
bileS II Is Said
Chaufieur'S Fracture Sustain.
ed While Cranking
Is Recognized By Surgeons
In New York

new 1OTk, ApIll - ne tdbeBOIy
OF physical ailments contains a class
called Occupation diseases" each
malady, of course, resulting from the
particular occupation which the suf-
ferer follows for livelihood. For in
stance. DR.. Charles l.. Dana, the dis
tinguished neurologist, in his book on
nervous diseases refers to the vast
ing away of muscles due to constant
overuse. This, he says, applies par
ticularly to the small muscles. of the
hand, and he cites the atrophy of such
muscles in lapidaries. Again, he men
tions the wasting of the biceps in
blacksmiths and atrophy of the mus
cles of the calf OF the leg in ballet
dancers. The advent of the automo-
bile has added a brand-new surgical
ailment to the group in the so-called
"chauffeur's fracture" DIR. William
S. Thomas, surgeon in chief in the
Outdoor Department of st. Luke's hos
pital calls attention to it in The Med
ical Record He says, in part
Modern machinery brings its spe-
cial types of occupation diseases, and
among them the chauffeurs fracture,
which is common in the experience of
many surgeons. When an automo-
bile engine stands unused there is
gradual change in the proportions of
air and gasoline vapor, which fill its
cylinders, so that the mixture losses
it's explosive character. For the en-
gine to turn the shaft automatically,
fresh explosive matter must be turned
into the cylinder by the motion of the
piston before it is of any use to ap-
ply the igniting spark. TO accomplish
this suction no motion has as yet been
devised save for the shaft to get its
first turn by man power. 1t is during
this starting turn by hand that the
chauffeur's fracture is produced. If
the explosion is timed to occur in
the cylinder before the piston reach
es it's highest point, or, in other
words, if the spark be advanced, the
said piston will be pushed down, so
as to turn the shaft and crank back
ward suddenly and violently. The mo-
ton of the crank's handle is thus re-
versed with a pressure of from for
ty to eighty pounds to the square
inch.
"lf the back kick of the handle oc-
ours during its ascension it will be
suddenly pushed downward, straight
ening out the fingers, and releasing it.
self from the grasp. Under these cir
cumstahces no harm will be done un-
less the handle fly backward quick
ly enough and with force enough to
strike the forearm and break bone
by direct violence. At times the vic
tim sustains a typical indirect frac-
ture of the lower end of the radius
from the back kick of the handle,
which then flies around and smites his
forearm, breaking by direct violence
the shaft of radius, or ulna, or both.
From our present standpoint the
types of engines used in automobiles
are alike, except in the number of
their cylinders. In one-cylinder en-
gines there is but one point in the cir
Gle described by the crank handle
where it is possible for back kick
to occur. In eight-cylinder engines
the back kick may occur at any one of
four points in the circle.
The automobile engines mostly in
vogue are those with four cylinders.
One might expect considerable varia-
ton of fractures sustained from force
applied in such varying directions,
but as a matter of fact the prevailing
type of break is one occurring lower
on the radius and with milder symp-
toms than those of the usual Colless
injury, which has been acquired by
falling upon the oustretched palm So
mild are the symptoms in many of
these cases that they are frequently
considered to be sprained wrists, and
do not reach the surgeons for several
days.
IF an explosion occurs while one Of
the pistons is rising, thus constitut-
ing a backfire, the handle of the
crank will be jerked harmlessly out
of the drivers hand. Should he be
pushing the handle through the down
ward portion of its arc when the said
back-fire occurs, its violence may
have added to it the strong muscular
effort of the descending arm.
"As mater Of fact in actual prac-
tice it is very often necessary, in or
der to start the engine going spon-
taneously, to spin the handle, as it
is called. This means rapid rev.
olution of the crank many times re-
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