226 HORSE, SWINE AND POULTRY DISEASES 



ering the locality of the fracture. Its components are black pitch, 

 rosin, and Venice turpentine, blended by heat. The dressing may 

 be applied directly to the skin, or a covering of thin linen may be 

 interposed. A putty made with powdered chalk and the white of 

 egg is recommended for small animals, though a mixture of sugar 

 of lead and burnt alum with the albumen is preferred by others. 

 Another formula is spirits of camphor, Goulard's extract, and albu- 

 men. Another recommendation is to saturate the oakum and band- 

 ages with an adhesive solution formed with gum arabic, dextrin, 

 flour paste, or starch. This is advised particularly for small animals, 

 as is also the silicate of soda. Dextrin mixed, while warm, with 

 burnt alum and alcohol cools and solidifies into a stony consistency, 

 and is preferable to plaster of Paris, which is less friable and has less 

 solidity, besides being heavier and requiring constant additions as it 

 becomes older. Starch and plaster of Paris form another good com- 

 pound. 



In applying the dressing the leg is usually padded with a cush- 

 ion of oakum, thick and soft enough to equalize the irregularities of 

 the surface and to form a bedding for the protection of the skin from 

 chafing. Over this the splints are placed. The material for these is, 

 variously, pasteboard, thin wood, bark, laths, gutta percha, strips of 

 thin metal, as tin or perhaps sheet iron. These should be of sufficient 

 length not only to cover the region of the fracture, but to extend 

 sufficiently above and below to render the immobility more complete 

 than in the surrounding joints. The splints, again, are covered with 

 .cloth bandages, linen preferably, soaked in a glutinous mixture. 

 These bandages are to be carefully applied, with a perfect condition 

 of lightness. They are usually made to embrace the entire length 

 of the leg, in order to avoid the possibility of interference with the cir- 

 culation of the extremity, as well as for the prevention of chafing. 

 They should be rolled from the lower part of the leg upward, and 

 carefully secured against loosening. In some instances suspensory 

 bandages are recommended, but excepting for small animals our 

 experience does not justify a concurrence in the recommendation. 



These permanent dressings always need careful watching with 

 reference to their immediate effect upon the region they cover, espe- 

 cially during the first days succeeding that of their application. Any 

 manifestation of pain, or any appearance of swelling above or below, 

 or any odor suggestive of suppuration should excite suspicion, and a 

 thorough investigation should follow without delay. The removal 

 of the dressing should be performed with great care, and especially 

 so if time enough has elapsed since its application to allow of a prob- 

 ability of a commencement of the healing process or the existence of 

 any points of consolidation. With the original dressing properly 

 applied in its entirety in the first instance, the entire extremity will 

 have lost all chance of mobility, and the repairing process may be 

 permitted to proceed without interference. There will be no neces- 

 sity and there need be no haste for removal or change except under 

 special conditions as have just been mentioned, or when there is rea- 

 son to judge that solidification has become perfect, or for the comfort 



