SPRAIN OF THE BACK-SINEWS. 343 



of extension ; and the tendon, or its sheath, are scarcely ever ruptured, even in 

 what is called breaking down. The first injury is confined to inflammation ol 

 the sheath, or rupture of a few of the attaching fibres. This inflammation, 

 however, is often very great, the pain intense, and the lameness excessive. The 

 anguish expressed at every bending of the limb, and the local swelling and 

 heat, will clearly indicate the seat of injury. 



In every serious affection of this kind, care should be taken that the local 

 inflammation does not produce general disturbance of the system ; and, there- 

 fore, the horse should be bled and physicked. The bleeding may be at the toe. 

 by which an important local, as well as general, effect will be produced. The 

 vessels of the heart will be relieved, while fever will be prevented. Let not the 

 bleeding be performed in the farrier's usual way of first paring down the sole, 

 and then taking out a piece of it at the toe of the frog ; in which case a wound 

 is made often difficult to heal, and through which fungous granulations from the 

 sensible parts beneath will obstinately spring : but, after the sole has been well 

 thinned, let a groove be cut with the rounded head of a small drawing-knife, at 

 the junction of the sole and the crust (see % in the next cut, p. 345). The large 

 vein at the toe will thus be opened, or the groove may be widened backward 

 until it is found. When the blood begins to appear, the vein may be more 

 freely opened by a small lancet thrust horizontally under the sole, and almost 

 any quantity of blood may be easily procured. The immersion of the foot in 

 warm water will cause the blood to flow more rapidly. A sufficient quantity 

 having been withdrawn, a bit of tow should be placed in the groove, and a patten 

 shoe tacked on, by which the heels may be raised from the ground, and much 

 tension removed from the sinews. The bleeding will, thus, be immediately 

 stopped, and the wound will readily heal. 



As a local application, no hot farrier's oil should come near the part, but tho 

 leg should be well fomented with warm water two or three times in the day, and 

 half an hour at each time. Between the fomentations, the leg should be enclosed in 

 a poultice of linseed-meal. Any herb that pleases the owner may be added to 

 the fomentation, or vinegar or Goulard's extract to the poultice ; for the bene- 

 ficial effect of both depends simply on the warmth of the water and the moisture 

 of the poultice. All stimulating applications will infallibly aggravate the mis- 

 chief. 



The horse beginning to put his foot better to the ground, and to bear pressure 

 on the part, and the heat having disappeared, the object to be accomplished is 

 changed. Recurrence of the inflammation must be prevented, the enlargement 

 must be got rid of, and the parts must be strengthened. The two latter pur- 

 poses cannot be better effected than by using an elastic bandage one of thin 

 flannel will be the best. This will sustain and support the limb, while by few 

 means are the absorbents sooner induced to take up the effused coagulable 

 matter of which the swelling is composed, than by moderate pressure. If the 

 bandage is kept wet with vinegar to each pint of which a quarter of a pint of 

 spirit of wine has been added the skin will be slightly stimulated and contracted, 

 and the cold produced by the constant evaporation will tend to subdue the 

 remaining and deep-seated inflammation. This bandage should be daily 

 tightened in proportion as the parts are capable of bearing increased pressure, 

 and the treatment should be persisted in for a fortnight. If, at the expiration 

 of that period, there is no swelling, tenderness, or heat, the horse may gradually, 

 lnd very cautiously, be put to his usual work. 



Should there, however, remain the slightest lameness or considerable enlarge- 

 ment, the leg must be blistered, and, indeed, it would seldom be bad practice 

 to blister after every case of severe sprain : for the inflammation may lie deep 

 in the sheath of the tendons, and the part once sprained may long remain weak, 



