Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1283

ABRAHAM COLLES (1773-1843) On the fracture of the carpal extremity of the radius. (In Edinburgh medical and surgical journal. 2nd ed. Vol. 10 (1814), pp. 182-186.) 20.8 cm.

Colles was professor of anatomy and surgery at Dublin and was Ireland's leading surgeon for over thirty years. His major contributions include his anatomical description of the perineum (Colles' fascia and Colles' space), his determination that a child with congenital syphilis will not infect its mother, and the present observation on fracture of the wrist. This paper, dated February 21, 1814 and appearing in the April issue of the Edinburgh medical and surgical journal, is the best known of Colles' several publications. In the article, which reports this condition in print for the first time, he describes one of the more common fractures of the long bones. Colles fracture is a complete fracture through the distal radius approximately one and a half inches from its carpal attachments, with the resultant typical "silver fork" deformity. Without the benefit of modern X-ray studies, Colles was able to diagnose the nature of the fracture, reduce it to a normal position, and fix it in an effective splint. His paper is a classic example of how careful examination and logical thinking can be almost as quickly effective as the use of sophisticated diagnostic aids.

Cited references: Garrison-Morton 4410

Gift of John Martin, M.D.