Early detection of fracture healing of a long bone for better mass health care

Detection of the fracture of a bone at a site, say during an accident, is a serious problem, these days. In the present paper a new technique is presented. This is low cost and electrical in nature. The electrical conductivity of the bone varies from radial direction to the direction parallel to the bone axis. This confirms that bone has electrically anisotropic behaviour. The induced e.m.f. generated in the bone under an electrostatic field is found to vary with the stress applied to the fractured bone. This e.m.f. is directly proportional to the amplitude of the applied d.c. electric field, while the d.c. impedance, i.e. resistance, is almost constant over a wide range of the electric field. The fractured bone is completely healed when the induced e.m.f. in the bone is found to be the same as in normal bone under a constant electric field. The present investigation would assist in better health care as the fracture can be detected at the site, in good time.