FRACTURES OF THE HAND - DISTRIBUTION AND RELATIVE INCIDENCE

One thousand consecutive fractures of the metacarpals, phalanges, and carpal bones have been recorded over a period of about 10 months in Be rgen, Norway, to find out the relative incidence of these fractures in an unselected series: this corresponds well with the few other report s of the incidence of hand fractures that we could find. In the total series the metacarpals, phalanges, and carpal bones account for 36%, 4 6%, and 18% of the fractures, respectively. Fractures of the scaphoid make up 10.6% of the total, fractures of the neck of the fifth metacar pal 9.7%, and Bennett's fractures 1.4%. The outer areas of the hand ar e most commonly damaged,-the fifth ray, the thumb ray, and the distal phalanx of the third finger account for half of all fractures of the h and.