ABSTRACT
Before the surgical fixation of hip fractures was widely available, this ‘biological’ process of a brittle bone breaking was known as ‘the old lady’s friend’, as through becoming bedridden the elderly woman became prone to bronchopneumonia and death. Where health service resources are sufficient, hip fractures are now actively managed, usually with an operation to pin the fractured bones together. Most elderly people become almost as mobile as they were before the fracture. Thus the biomedical technology used by surgeons has changed the outcome of a fractured hip beyond recognition. It has also transformed the relationship between what could be termed a ‘normal biological process’ and the experience and expectations of individuals and communities.
