Dinosaur Leg Fracturesing)

[M Anderson <avimort@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au>]

Further to the Broken leg on Sue issue:

An article worth chasing up for anyone with an interest in
dinosaur fractures and bone diseases is:
"Chronic Osteomyelitis in a Hypsilophodontid Dinosaur
in Early Cretaceous, Polar Australia." by Gross, J.D., 
Rich, T.H., & Vickers-Rich, P.V., National Geographic
Research & Exploration, 9 (3): 286-293; 1993.

The bone injury was a fracture of the tibia (in this specimen
about 6" long) which had happened several years before the
death of the animal, and shows evidence of infection and
abnormal bone growth around the injury site.

It appears from the rest of the skeleton that the injury
itself was not fatal, but that the effects of the infection
on the survival skills of this small herbivore may have
contributed to its death, although it should be noted that the 
bone injury had healed to an extent where the animal was
obviously able to eat and survive.

For any of you out there in the Melbourne, Australia, region
in the next few months, this specimen is on display in the 
Museum of Victoria.

Marion Anderson
Dept of Earth Sciences, Monash University, Australia.
avimort@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au