Recorded fracture treatment dates back to 3000 B.C. when crude splints were constructed from bark and palm ribs and held together by gum, egg whites, goat's wool, clay and plaster. Depending on the time you lived, having a broken arm might have meant setting it with ingredients from the kitchen, a leather cast or unwieldy plaster molds.

In the year 860 A.D., an Arabian physician mixed lime with egg whites, to create a hard mixture - - the predecessor to plaster. During the 16th century, doctors in the Turkish Empire covered broken bones in gypsum, leaving openings for plugs of wood and greased cork. When the cast dried, the plugs were removed to allow ventilation and outlets for swelling. Once the swelling decreased, liquid gypsum filled in the holes.

In the early 19th century, Napoleon's surgeon used strips of leather and cylinders of straw to construct a cast that was treated with a mixture of wine, acetate, camphorated spirits, egg whites and water - - a recipe borrowed from Spain. This concoction hardened quickly, but was extremely heavy.

By 1835, another French doctor introduced a lighter-weight, removable bandage made of cardboard and starch that could be slipped on and off to examine the injury. Unfortunately, this cast took several days to harden, during which time the patient could not move.

"Plaster of Paris," named after the plaster deposits near the French capital, was developed a few years later. While the material was state-of-the-art, the application technique left much to be desired, with plaster molds attached to the injury via an elaborate array of bandages. By 1852, "Plaster of Paris" powder was rubbed into cotton bandages that were then soaked in water and applied directly to the limb. Although this cast had to be kept dry, and was still heavy and burdensome for patients to wear, "Plaster of Paris" bandages remained the standard casting material for more then one hundred years.

Casts finally took a major leap forward in the 1970s. The development of fiberglass casting tape made it possible to produce a cast that was light and durable, permitting greater patient mobility. Today, 75 percent of all casts in the U.S. are made of synthetic materials. With the 1990 introduction of an innovative cast lining product - GORE PROCEL® Cast Liner from W. L. Gore & Associates - fiberglass casts are now waterproof, too. The same polymer used to make GORE-TEX® fabric ski clothes and hiking suits waterproof and breathable is used in GORE PROCEL® Cast Liner, allowing patients to bathe, shower, and even swim while wearing a fiberglass cast.