DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF THE HORSE. 199 



CHAPTER XXI. 



WOUNDS AND TREATMENT. 



Wounds are of various kinds, as follows: 



(1) An Incised Wound. — This is a wound caused by a clean 

 cutting- instrument where its length is greater than its depth. 



(2) A Punctured Wound.— This is a wound caused by some 

 sharp or blunt instrument, and its depth exceeds its length. 



(3) A Lacerated Wound.— This is a wound where the flesh is 

 both torn and cut, as in a case where one horse kicks another. 



(4) A Contused Wound. — This is a wound where the skin is 

 not broken, but the tissues under the skin are very much bruised, 

 as, for instance, a man with a black eye. This is one of the best 

 examples of this kind of a wound. 



GENERAL TREATMENT FOR ALL KINDS OF WOUNDS. 

 If the wound is bleeding, stop it in any of the following ways: 

 By applying cotton batting over the wound and a tight bandage 

 over the cotton batting, and leave it on for twenty-four hours ; or, 

 by putting on astringent medicine. The best medicine for this is 

 Monsell's solution of iron; apply it with a feather, x'^^nother very 

 good way is to tie the end of the artery tightly with a small 

 string, that is, if you can get hold of the artery. A common 

 sewing needle that is used for sewing up wounds comes in very 

 handy in some cases, by just running the needle in under the 

 .irtery or vein that is bleeding, and tie up some of the muscle along 

 v/ith the artery, and leave it tied until it comes off of its own 

 accord. If the wound is deep, and you cannot catch the artery, 

 plug the hole with cotton batting and leave it in for twent\-four 

 hours, then examine the wound to see if there is any pieces of 

 stick or anything left in it. If it is a lacerated wound, sew it up 

 ^fter washing the wound out with a little luke warm water to 

 make it nice and clean. The best way to sew the wound is to 

 place a twitch on the horse's nose and have one of his front legs 

 held up, and put in the stitches with a common sewing needle 

 used for sewing wounds, which can be got at any wholesale drug 

 store, and use the small carriage trimmers' twine to sew it up 

 with, which can be got at any hardware store. Before starting to 

 sew up a bad cut, examine as to where you should put in vour 

 first stitch, so as to bring the edges of the wound evenly together. 

 Put in the stitches one-half inch apart, tying each stitch separately 



