Treatment of broken legs before and after the introduction of gypsum

Gypsum or plaster-of-Paris has given long and efficient service in the management of fractures of the leg, and in spite of the recent introduction of a variety of synthetic materials (Hunt, 1980) it remains the most commonly used splintage material. Plaster-of-Paris bandages can compete successfully with synthetic ones because of their convenience and easy use notwithstanding the superior strength, shorter curing time, water resistance, and radiotranslucence of the synthetics. However, Orthoplast in sheet form is a very satisfactory material for forming the tibial cast brace while synthetic bandages with plastic flexible hinges are advantageous for femoral cast bracing. Nowadays, in fact, plaster-of-Paris has been supplanted to some extent. A review of the methods of fracture splintage that were used before the introduction of gypsum helps to provide a perspective of the merits of this material, whose properties and availability have been taken for granted for more than a hundred years.