Recent experience of the treatment of segmental idiopathic necrosis of the femoral head are discussed in this book by several experts. The discussed methods oftreatment are practically unknown in the US orthopaedic literature. It describes alternate methods of treatment with regard to total joint replacement In Chapter 1 Dr. Wagenhauser expresses his thoughts on posture and its affects on the human body. The following 7 chapters focus on diagnosis and treatment of idio­ pathic necrosis of the femoral head - an especially timely subject since the incidence of this disease, which primarily affects males during the most active period of their lives, seems to be increasing. New Haven, Connecticut, August 1981 Ulrich H. Well The Question of Posture F. J. Wagenhliuser Every expert would agree with Taillard (1964) that. posture is the most unsettled of all orthopaedic problems. Its onus of ambiguity no longer concerns orthopaedists alone, nor is it limited only to the fields of medical practice and research. It is, rather, a fundamental question spanning a wide range of sciences and occupations that deal with human exist­ ence and actions. Therefore fascination with this problem has steadily increased. Ques­ tions on human posture, its concepts and terminology, its normal forms and variations, the diagnosis of pathologic disorders, and their response to treatment concern many of today's anatomists, pathologists, physiologists, orthopaedists, rheumatologists, pediatri­ cians, gerontologists, psychiatrists, psychosomatic therapists, physiologists, behavioral therapists, and epidemiologists.