Experimental Observations of the Use of Absorbable and Non-Absorbable Plastics in Bone Surgery

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Abstract
Protein and non-protein plastics were investigated experimentally. The protein plastics were made from casein, fibrin, plasma, red blood cells or whole blood and formalized in 4% formalin. The speed of its absorption from living tissue depended on the degree of formalization and the size of the implant. During the process of absorption the protein plastic became rubbery, progressively softer, then granular and finally mucoidal before its complete disappearance. During the latter process a capsule of fibrous tissue was formed about the plastic. In bone, as absorption proceeded replacement followed with new bone. Rarefaction did not take place around the plastic. The mechanics of absorption were partly due to the action of proteolytic enzymes and the heavy cellular infiltration of the margins about the foreign body. Tissue culture test demonstrated protein plastics to be harmless to cells. In animals no evidence of allergy was found even on repeated insertions of plastics. Nonabsorbable plastics obtained from methyl methacrylate were stronger than casein plastics but in no way comparable to steel. In exptl. fractures this plastic showed no superiority over the metals.

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