SURGEON FLEMING'S DISCOVERY. 195 



When a fracture has been produced, inflammation 

 and fetor will follow, and the horse loses his appetite. 

 If the bone is removed and the horse is allowed to rest 

 for a few days, the wound will heal; otherwise the 

 most serious consequences may follow. The removal 

 of the bone may be effected sometimes soon after the 

 fracture; but if, after cutting into the gum, it be found 

 too firmly attached to the surrounding parts, it is bet- 

 ter to wait a week or two that nature may loosen it. 

 Bones an inch or more in length are often removed. 

 Thus that which at first appears to be "only a sore 

 mouth," may, if neglected, prove the ruin of a valuable 

 horse. 



Fractures are often caused by external violence. A 

 severe blow, accidental or otherwise, in the region of 

 the roots of the teeth may cause a fracture that will 

 necessitate the removal of both the bone and the teeth. 



"The lower jaw," says Prof. Youatt, "is more sub- 

 ject to fracture than the upper, particularly at the 

 point between the tushes and the incisor teeth, and at 

 the symphysis (of the chin) between the two branches 

 of the jaw. Its position, length, and the small quan- 

 tity of muscle covering it, especially anteriorly, render 

 it liable to fracture. The same circumstances, how- 

 ever, combine to render a reunion of the parts easy." 



The following extraordinary case of accidental frac- 

 ture is reported by Surgeon George Fleming ("Veteri- 

 narian," 1874, p. 694) : 



"In 1865, while stationed near Aldershot, I was 

 driving one day in the neighborhood of Farnborough, 

 when, in a narrow lane, our progress was somewhat 

 checked by a farmer's wagon in front, which compelled 

 us to travel at a walking pace for some distance. Dur- 



