During the past decade orthopedic surgeons have evidenced a mounting interest in the problem of the short extremity in its relation to the functional economy of the body. From every side come studies relating to the causative factors as well as proposals of corrective measures designed to reestablish or equalize the length of the extremities. The ultimate goal of these procedures is the conservation of effort and work on the part of the body. Defective growth due to (1) deficiency of germ plasm, (2) circulatory failures occurring early in embryonic life or (3) epiphysial disturbances resulting from some obscure endocrine failure, disease, trauma or dyscrasia is encountered in the everyday practice of orthopedic surgery. The bilateral manifestation of arrested growth arouses our deepest and most sympathetic consideration and spurs us on to experiment in fields of medicine which are still somewhat nebulous to most orthopedic surgeons, e. g., endocrinology and