340 FRACTURE OF THE CANNON, SESAMOID BONES, ETC. 



means to retain the bone in its situation. A case, however, some- 

 what simple in its nature, occurred in the practice of Mr. Cart- 

 wright. A colt, leaping at some rails, got his leg between them, 

 and, unable to extricate himself, hung over on the other side. 

 After being liberated it appeared, on examination, that there was 

 a simple horizontal Iracture of the whole of the os calcis about 

 the middle. A splint was contrived so as to reach from the mid- 

 dle of the tibia to that of the cannon bone, and this was applied 

 to the front of the leg, keeping the hock from its usual motion, 

 and relaxing the muscles inserted into the os calcis. Underneath 

 this splint a charge was applied about the part, in order to form 

 a level surface for the splint to rest upon. The whole was bound 

 together by proper adhesive bandages, and he was ordered to be 

 Kept quiet in the stable, but not to be slung. In about two months 

 the hock was fired and became perfectly sound. 



Fracture of the cannon or shank bone. — This is of more 

 frequent occurrence than that of any other bone, on account ol 

 the length of the leg, and the danger to which it is exposed 

 There is rarely any difficulty in detecting its situation, but there 

 IS sometimes a great deal in bringing the divided edges oi" the 

 bone again into apposition. A kind of windlass, or a power 

 equal to it, is occasionally necessary to produce sufficient exten- 

 sion in order to effect the desired purpose : but the divided edges 

 being brought into apposition are retained there by the force of 

 the muscles above. Splints reaching from the foot to above the 

 Kiiee should then be applied. The horse should be racked up 

 during a fortnight, after which, if the case is going on well, the 

 animal may oflen be turned out. 



In cases of compound fracture the wounds should be carefully 

 attended to : but Mr. Percivall says that he knows one or two 

 old practitioners, who are in the habit of treating these cases in 

 a very summary and generally successful manner. They employ 

 such common support, with splints and tow and bandages, as 

 the case seems to require, and then the animal with his leg 

 bound up is turned out, if the season permits ; otherwise he is 

 placed in a yard or box, where there is not much straw to in- 

 commode his movements. The animal will take care not to 

 impose too much weight on his fractured limb ; and, provided 

 the parts are well secured, nature will generally perform the 

 rest. 



Fracture of the sesamoid bones. — There are but two 

 instances of this on record. 



Fracture of the upper pastep^n. — Thick and strong, and 

 movable as this bone seems to be, it is occasionally fractured. This 

 has been the consequence of a violent effort by the horse to save 

 himself from falling, when he has stumbled, — it has happened 



