journal of Agricii'ture. [8 April, 1908, 



but may be as big as a man's head. The injury is usually caused by the 

 heels of the fore shoe coming in contact with the elbow when the horse is 

 lying down. There is a bursa or synovial sheath situated between the 

 summit of the olecranon process of the ulna bone and the tendons of inser- 

 tion of the caput muscles, and it is because this bursa often becomes 

 inflamed and distended Avith s\novia that the condition is such a grave 

 one. 



Treatment. — When the swelling or enlargement is noticed for the first 

 time cooling applications may be applied to reduce the inflammatory swel- 

 ling, but neither these nor blisters are of much use later on. If a blister 

 is tried the red mercury ointment is the best because of its power of pro- 

 moting al)sorpt]on of inflammatoiv exudates. If there is fluctuation of the 

 swelling indicating the presence of fluid it should be lanced at the bottom 

 .so as tj allow of free discharge. The cavity should then be injected daily 

 with a lotion made of equal parts of tincture of iodine and glycerine; 

 this, to stimulate adhesion of the walls of the cavity. When the enlarge- 

 ment is hard and fibrous the only effective remedv is removal with the 

 knife — an operation to be performed after the manner of that recommended 

 for the remo'val of shoulder tumors. After either lancing or excision the 

 wound .should be kept open until the ca\ ity has filled up by healing from 

 the bottom. 



Capped Knee. 



This condition is most often met with in hunters and steeplechasers, 

 the injurv being sustained through rapping fences when jumping. The 

 .swelling is usually situated a little above the knee and it consists of an 

 inflammatory exudate, or, in more serious cases, of a droptsical distension 

 of the synovial sheath through which the tendon of the extens^or mctacarpt 

 inagnus mu.scle passes. 



Treatment. — When the injury is first sustained cooling lotions (see 

 page 159), and cold water bandages should be applied. Later on absorption 

 of the swelling should be stimulated by rubbing in tincture of iodine two 

 or three times a week or applying a red mercury blister (page 75, Vol. V.) 

 every alternate week. The removal of the swelling, however, when it has 

 become callous is a very tedious matter and if it is of a dropsical character 

 time may be saved by operating at once. The operation consi-sts in lancing 

 the distension at its lower part and evacuating the fluid which in old- 

 standing cases may have floating or adherent masses or bands of coagulated 

 lymph contained in it. An iodine and glycerine solution (see above) 

 should be afterwards injected and a tight bandage applied. The injec- 

 tion and bandaging should be repeated daily until the walls of the cavity 

 have united and the wound has healed. The operation must be performed 

 under .strictly a-septic conditions otherwise suppuration will ensue, and a 

 permanent stiffening of the limb may result from the tendon becoming 

 adherent to its sheath and consequently restricted in action. 



If the swelling is not completely removed by the operation, opportunity 

 should be taken every time the horse is given a few weeks' rest to apply a 

 blister of red merrurv ointment. 



Capped Hock. 



Capped hock is a condition of a similar character to cai)ped elbow, the 

 enlargement in this case occurring on the point of the hock and the liursa 

 involved being that situated between the summit of the calcaneum bone 

 {os calcis) and the tendon of the gastroc-nemiiis muscle just above its point 

 of in.serticr. 



