270 



A DICTIONARY. 



between the finger and the thumb ; when 

 an opportunity may be taken, either with 

 the scalpel or scissors, of dividing it ; then, 

 taking hold of the lowermost portion be- 

 tween a pair of forceps, excise about three- 

 fourths of an inch of its trunk. Having 

 finished, if both feet are affected, proceed 

 to operate upon the contrary side of the 

 other leg ; after 'which turn the horse, and 

 repeat the operations on the like parts of 

 each leg as they come in succession. The 

 integuments may be now drawn neatly 

 together, and secured by a twisted suture, 

 the whole being properly covered by a 

 light compress. Tie up the head for a day 

 or two, after which put on a cradle ; keep 

 the horse very quiet and low ; give mashes 

 to open the bowels ; but we should avoid 

 physicking^ from the fear that griping might 

 occur, which would make him restless, or 

 probably require exercise. 



" Periosteotomy. — This operation consists 

 in having the horse thrown upon his side, 

 and the leg to be operated upon released 

 from the hobble, and extended upon a sack 

 filled with refuse hay or straw : this is done 

 by means of a piece of webbing passed 

 round the hoof, and the end given to a man 

 to hold, who pulls rather violently at the 

 member. The operator then kneels down 

 and feels for the exostosis he intends to per- 

 form periosteotomy upon. This may be a 

 splint or a node, and commonly exists upon 

 the metacarpal portion of the fore limb. 

 The operator having found the excrescence, 

 snips just below it with a pair of rowelling 

 scissors. He then takes a blunt seton nee- 

 dle and drives it through the cellular tissue, 

 and immediately over the enlargement. 

 Next, another slit in the skin, above the 

 exostosis, is made with the rowelling scis- 

 sors, and through this last opening the 

 point of the seton needle is forced and then 

 withdrawn. Lito the free space thus made 

 a curved knife is introduced : the point of 

 this knife is blunt, and the blade curves up- 

 ward, the cutting part being below. Some 

 persons use a very diminutive blade, but the 

 editor prefers a rather large instrument, as 

 being more under the command of the hand. 



Having introduced this knife, he turns the 

 cutting edge downward, and with it incises 

 the enlargement, sending the blade right 

 through the periosteum, and also through 

 the substance of the exostosis, if it be not 

 too solid for the knife to penetrate. This 

 latter fact is only to be ascertained by ac- 

 tual experience, and no opinion formed 

 after an external examination can be of any 

 value ; such being much more the guess of 

 a pretender than the judgment of a surgeon. 

 The age of the animal may be some guide, 

 but even this it is better not to depend upon 

 too entirely. It is true that young horses 

 freely cast forth exostoses, which aged ani- 

 mals mostly absorb ; but this rule, though 

 very general, has exceptions, and by no 

 means is to be absolutely depended upon. 



" The enlargement being cut through, next 

 take a seton needle armed with a tape, and 

 draw it through the channel already made : 

 tie a knot at either end of the tape, large 

 enough to prevent its being pulled through 

 the opening at either end, and the business 

 is over. The affair is very simple, and the 

 horse may be at once let up. It is, how- 

 ever, in some cases, and only in some, of so 

 much benefit that the horse, being thrown 

 ' dead lame,' gets up and trots off quite 

 sound. However, ere you adopt the opera- 

 tion, apprise the owner of the risk incurred, 

 and that it is by no means a certain cure. 

 Leave the choice with him, but be sure and 

 tell him the openings made for the entrance 

 and exit of the seton commonly leave a 

 blemish behind them ; and where the seton 

 travelled, often there remains a thickening, 

 which it may require months to obliterate. 



" The after part of the treatment consists 

 in merely having the seton daily moved to 

 and fro : though some persons apply an 

 active blister all over the parts immediately 

 in the neighborhood of the seton ; under 

 the idea that the vesicatory renders the 

 operation of greater efficacy, which how- 

 ever is very questionable. When perioste- 

 otomy acts at aU, it mostly does so at once ; 

 and when its benefits are not immediate, it 

 is better to withdraw the seton to prevent 

 after blemish, rather than hazard further and 



