478 THE HORSE. 
ments, and tendons may be worn through by friction against the plain 
surface of a smooth turnpike road. Whether the joint itself is injured, or 
only the skin, the accident is called a “broken knee,” and for convenience 
sake it will be well to consider both under the present head. 
WHEN A BROKEN KNEE consists merely in an abrasion of the skin, the 
attention of the groom is solely directed to the restoration of the haiz, 
which will grow again as well as ever, if the bulbs or roots are not 
injured. These are situated in the internal layer of the true skin, and 
therefore, whenever there is a smooth red surface displayed, without any 
difference in the texture of its parts, a confident hope may be expressed 
that there will be no blemish. If the skin is penetrated, either the 
glistening surface of the tendons or ligaments is apparent, or there is a 
soft layer of cellular membrane, generally containing a fatty cell or two in 
the middle of the wound of the skin. ven here, by proper treatment, 
the injury may be repaired so fully, that the space uncovered by hair 
cannot be recognised by the ordinary observer, and not by any one without 
bending the knee and looking very carefully at it. Zhe best treatment is 
to foment the knee well with warm water, so as to remove every particle 
of grit or dirt ; go on with this every hour during the first day, and at 
night apply a bran poultice to the knee, which should be left on till the 
next morning. Then cleanse the wound, and apply a little spermaceti 
ointment, or lard without salt, and with this keep the wound plant until 
it heals, which if slight it will in a few days. If the skin is pierced there 
will generally be a growth above it of red flabby granulations, which should. 
be carefully kept down to its own level (not beneath it), by the daily use 
of blue stone, or if necessary of nitrate of silver. As soon as the wound 
is perfectly healed, if the horse can be spared, the whole front of the knee 
and skin should be dressed with James’ blister, which will bring off the 
hair of the adjacent parts, and also encourage the growth of that injured 
by the fall. In about three weeks or a month from its application, the 
leg will pass muster, for there will be no difference in the colour of the 
old and new hair as there would have been without the blister, and the 
new will also have come on more quickly and perfectly than it otherwise 
would. 
WHEN THE JOINT ITSELF is opened the case is much more serious, and 
there is a risk not only of a serious blemish, which can seldom be avoided, 
but of a permanent stiffness of the leg, the mischief sometimes being suffi- 
cient to lead to constitutional fever, and the local inflammation going on 
to the destruction of the joint by anchylosis. The treatment should be 
directed to cleanse and then close the joint, the former object being car- 
ried out by a careful ablution with warm water, continued until there is 
no doubt of all the dirt and grit having been removed. Then, if there is 
only a very small opening in the capsular ligament, it may be closed by a 
careful and light touch of a pointed iron heated to a red heat. Generally, 
however, it is better to apply some dry carded cotton to the wound, and a 
bandage over this, leaving all on for four or five days, when it may be 
removed and reapplied. ‘The horse should be bled largely and physicked, 
taking care to prevent all chance of his lying down by racking him up. 
He will seldom attempt to do this, on account of the pain occasioned in 
bending the knee, but some animals will disregard this when tired, and 
will go down somehow. When the cotton is reapplied, if there are 
granulations above the level of the skin, they must be kept down as recom- 
mended in the last paragraph, and the subsequent treatment by blister 
may be exactly the same, By these means a very extensive wound of the 
