SPLINTS 63 



of the work it is required to perform. In some cases lameness disappears 

 if the animal is simply allowed to '• run on." In other cases good results 

 follow the application of iodine dressings, the tincture of iodine applied 

 to the region of the splint for some hours with a hot sponge frequently 

 bringing relief 



Caustic injections are occasionally employed. In adopting this treat- 

 ment a special syringe is required, with a strong trocar needle. The needle 

 has a trifacial head, immediately behind which is an eyelet through which 

 the solution is injected. The injection usually selected is an alcoholic 

 solution of corrosive sublimate (i in 500-750). 



After the injection the parts swell rapidly, and a common complication 

 is sloughing of a considerable area of skin over the region of the splint. 



Excision of the splint is sometimes practised, in which process the 

 exostosis is removed with the saw, or chipped off with mallet and chisel. 

 This operation necessitates the making of a large cutaneous incision, and 

 a permanent blemish frequently remains. 



In the treatment of splints the operation of periosteotomy has been 

 frequently performed. It is a method of treatment, however, which 

 should not be adopted, excepting in cases where the splint is favourably 

 situated and well forward clear of the important structures which we 

 have already described as running down the limb in close proximity to 

 the splint bones. The object is to slit the periosteum and so relieve the 

 tension on this membrane. 



The twitch and blinds should be applied, and the affected limb is then 

 taken up and held with the knee slightly flexed, the operation area having 

 undergone the usual preparatory treatment. A bold incision is then made 

 through the skin, fascia, and periosteum right down to the bone. Fomen- 

 tations are subsequently applied, and these are followed by the application 

 of a biniodide of mercury blister. A great objection to this operation is 

 the permanent unsightly blemish which so frequently results from its 

 performance. 



When it is particularly desirable that the limb should not be blemished. 



