ANTISEPTICS— PAST AND PRESENT 53 



Wounds of the sheaths of the flexor tendons are often 

 serious in consequence of the infection extending up- 

 ward and downward. Free drainage should be provided 

 early, and rigid attention to antisepsis is necessary. 



In all wounds in the region of the limbs there is a 

 tendency to the formation of exuberant granulations. 

 These require early attention in order to avoid perma- 

 nent blemishes. I find that the judicious application 

 of finely powdered sulphate of copper is the most reliable 

 treatment in these cases, old fashioned no doubt, but 

 efficient for the purpose required. 



Wounds of the knee, involving the extensor tendons 

 in the vicinity of this joint, are not uncommonly followed 

 by fibrous ankylosis, accelerated no doubt by keeping the 

 horse from lying down. When such a complication 

 occurs, the animal should be cast and chloroformed and 

 the joint forcibly flexed, otherwise the horse will be 

 useless. 



Wounds in the feet due to picked-up nails I shall not 

 consider here, as this would form a separate subject for 

 a paper. But in hunters, wounds are not uncommon 

 in this region as the result of portions of furze (gorse) 

 branches entering the foot in the vicinity of the frog. 

 Sharp portions of flint not uncommonly enter the foot 

 and extend deep into the sole. The detection of such 

 foreign bodies is not always an easy matter and requires 

 a careful examination of the foot. I believe the best 

 treatment, after the removal of the foreign body and 

 the proper enlargement of the wound, is to apply pure 

 carbolic acid or lysol, and a cataplasm composed of 

 kaolin and glycerin. 



In my experience the most dangerous wounds are 

 those due to punctures from shafts, such as result from 

 collisions. The difficulty in obtaining drainage is very 

 considerable, especially when the wound occurs in the 



