FRACTURES AND INJURIES TO THE CRANIAL BONES. 375 



and injured. Whitlamsmith saw a dog in which the brain protruded 

 in consequence of injury with a knife. A piece as large as a bean 

 was removed. For two weeks the dog showed paralysis of the right 

 side and manege movements ; then gradual recovery began and 

 finally became complete. Moller has often seen injuries in horses 

 and dogs successfully treated where both skull and brain were injured. 

 In a dog deafness remained, and its behaviour suggested that 

 sensation was also defective. Some years later death resulted, 

 and post-mortem showed a well-marked injury to the temporal 

 bone and to the subjacent portions of the brain. Where the 

 wounds become infected the animals usually die of purulent 

 meningitis. In horses Moller has repeatedly treated injuries of the 

 parietal bone caused by animals running against sharp objects. In 

 one the dura mater was exposed. As the patients came for treat- 

 ment soon after injury, and antisepsis was carefully carried out, 

 healing was effected by primary intention in from three to four weeks, 

 without either constitutional disturbance or formation of pus. It 

 is often impossible to discover the extent of the injuries produced 

 by the fracture. Prognosis must accordingly be guarded, notably 

 when brain symptoms accompany the injury, and especially when 

 these have existed for several days, or have appeared after the lapse 

 of some time. A favourable termination is to be expected when 

 no brain symptoms like dulness, irritability, spasms, &c, appear 

 during the first eight days after injury. Until this lapse of time 

 prognosis must always remain doubtful. 



Groning observed fracture of the left parietal in a horse through falling 

 over backwards. Some days later slight improvement set in, but, though 

 feeding was not interrupted, periodical excitement and fright were present. 

 On the sixth day epileptiform attacks occurred, and death followed on the 

 seventh. Post-mortem showed a small extravasation of blood in the cranial 

 cavity, 3 drams of a clear light-red fluid in the ventricle, and a linear fracture 

 of 2| inches in length in the left parietal bone. Conti saw fracture of the 

 skull produced by casting. The animal remained unconscious for a short 

 time, and then struck out violently with the feet. It died on the fourth 

 day, and a post-mortem showed three lines of fracture starting from the 

 occipital bone. One ran from the left condyle to the foramen lacerum 

 basis cranii ; the second reached to the base of the right condyle ; whilst 

 the third divided the occipital from the temporal bone. The bodies of 

 the occipital and sphenoid bones were further fractured in several places. 

 Pflug saw fracture of the skull in the horse caused by falling over back- 

 wards. The animal died on the spot. Post-mortem showed the cranium 

 to be completely divided in a transverse direction into two parts. The 

 medulla was torn away from the brain. 



Franco Gonelli describes a case of fracture of the base of the skull in 

 a horse brought about by falling into a trench ; the horse's mouth struck 



