lO CLINICAL VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SUROERV. 



was not complete until the eighth week. The pain and disturbance of 

 mastication caused by the caries and by the two operations had 

 produced very marked bodily wasting, but the diseased animal gradually 

 improved. A fortnight later, after the second operation, its weight was 

 642 kilogrammes, a fortnight later it weighed 649 kilos., and in a 

 month 660 kilos.* 



Another horse, in which I punched out the fourth left molar, quitted 

 the infirmary when the opening between the mouth and sinus was still 

 of considerable size. It was neglected, food accumulated in the sinus, 

 and the discharge again became abundant and horribly foetid. At the 

 end of two months it was returned here in an extremely thin condition. 

 The sinuses were full of stinking food material and pus. The walls of 

 the alveolar cavity were lined with a whitish, fibrous, pseudo-mucous 

 membrane, which gave no hope of satisfactory granulation. I decided 

 to fill the parts with gutta percha. The animal was cast on Daviau's 

 table, the mouth kept open with a gag, and the tongue moderately 

 drawn to the right side, so as to freely expose the left molars. The 

 sinus and alveolar cavity were carefully cleansed and dried with 

 tampons of cotton wool. Two pieces of gutta percha, softened in 

 water at about 112° F., were pushed from the sinus into the alveolus, 

 and fixed with the aid of the left index finger introduced into the sinus, 

 the right being introduced by the mouth between the third and fifth 

 molars. I was careful to slightly flatten out the upper part of the 

 inserted piece on the wall of the sinus around the alveolar orifice, and 

 the lower part around the two neighbouring molars. In order to more 

 rapidly harden the gutta percha it was irrigated for some minutes with 

 cold water both by the mouth and by the sinus. The latter was after- 

 wards plugged with gauze. The dressing was renewed each following 

 day. A discharge occurred around the upper part of the mass of 

 gutta percha, but was trifling in quantity and no longer foetid. The 

 trephined orifice was left open and contracted little by little. The 

 animal's condition gradually improved. When it left the school a 

 week later it only showed a trifling discharge, and the trephine wound 

 scarcely suppurated. 



This animal was brought back again in six months. It fed well, 

 and its condition had become excellent. A trifling quantity of muco- 

 purulent discharge escaped from the left nostril, but there was no 

 offensive odour. The trephine wound had become replaced b}- a 

 narrow fistula, which discharged a little whitish pus without odour. 

 Examined through the mouth, the piece of gutta percha was not in 

 any way displaced, and continued to perform its function perfectly. 



* A kilogramme = 2"2 lbs. English. 



