52 FISTULA AND POLL-EVIL 



any form of effectual treatment. The affected 

 area of ligament is too extensive to extirpate 

 and drainage apertures cannot be made nor 

 maintained to any advantage. In short, 

 cervical fistula is an incurable, hopeless con- 

 dition. 



Still another location is the bodies of the 

 dorsal vertebrae between the scapulae. Here 

 the pus follows the spines downward and seats 

 itself at an inaccessible place for drainage. 



The Atypical Form 



By atypical fistula we refer to those of 

 strictly traumatic origin. They supervene 

 saddle, harness and collar sores and cutaneous 

 contusions of various kinds, especially those 

 due to a hard, continuous pressure or deep 

 pressure. Most of them begin as a pressure 

 gangrene of a small zone of the skin, the sub- 

 cutem and the underlying ligament. The mi- 

 crobian florae of these lesions are the usual horde 

 of stajDhylococci and bacilli that ordinarily hi- 

 fect woimds of horses. In one specimen taken 

 from our clinic, Prof. Herzog isolated the 

 Bacillus necrophorus in addition to tlie otliers, 

 The ligament once attacked is slowly invaded 

 farther and farther along its course and the 

 underlying spines become implicated. That is. 

 the disease once seated becomes progressive, 



