Orthopaedic surgery today is undergoing a phase of vara, pseudarthrosis of the neck of the femur, and osteo turbulent development. Once the essential aim of treatment arthritis, even in cases which up to now would usually have been considered incurable. consisted in restitution of anatomy by surgery in order to This atlas not only shows convincing results of such restore function. Various forms of alloplasty have recently become fashionable for the treatment of joint diseases. treatment. Above all, it gives interested clinicians a line to The main reason for this vogue is that restoration of follow and sets out precise indications for the practical normal anatomy improves function and alleviates pain steps of the operations. only in certain special instances. I am especially grateful to Professor B. Kummer who, as Alternatively, the implantation of artificial joints of an anatomist, acted as the devil's advocate, and subjected different types has been presented as the method of the new concepts in functional anatomy and biomechanics choice because the immediate results are often spectacular shown in the atlas to critical analysis.
