FRACTURES. 261 



toes turned up — he is unable to place the affected foot flat on the 

 ground. The fetlock has dropped and the leg rests upon this 

 part, the skin of which may have remained intact or may have 

 been more or less extensively lacerated. It seldom happens that 

 more than one toe at a time will turn up, yet still the lesion in one 

 will be followed by its occurrence in another. Commonly two 

 feet of a biped, the anterior or posterior, are affected, and we re- 

 call one case in which the two fore and one of the hind legs were 

 included at the same time. The accident, however, is quite as 

 likely to happen while the horse is at rest in his stall, and he may 

 be found in the moiTiing standing on his fetlocks. One of the 

 earhest of the cases occurring in our own experience had been 

 under our care for several weeks for suspected disease of the fet- 

 locks, the nature of which had not been made out, when, appar- 

 ently improved by the treatment which he had undergone, the 

 patient was taken out of the stable to be walked a short distance 

 into the country, but had httle more than started when he was 

 called to a halt by the fracture of the sesamoids of both fore legs. 



While there are no positive premonitory symptoms known of 

 these fractures we believe that there are signs and symptoms 

 which come but Httle short of being so, and the appearance of 

 which will always justify a strong suspicion of the truth of the 

 case. These have been indicated when referring to the soreness 

 in standing, the short "mincing" gait, and the tenderness be- 

 trayed when pressure is made over the sesamoids on the sides of 

 the fetlock, with others less tangible and definable. 



These injuries can never be accounted less than serious, and 

 in our judgment will never be other than fatal. If our theory of 

 their pathology is the correct one, and the cause of the lesions is 

 truly the softening of the sesamoidal bony structure and inde- 

 pendent of any changes in the ligamentous fibers, the possibihty 

 of a soHd osseous union can hardly be considered admissible. 



In respect to the treatment to be recommended and instituted 

 it can only be employed with any rational hope of benefit during 

 the incubation, and with the anticipatory purpose of prevention. 

 It must be suggested by a suspicion of the verities of the case, 

 and appUed before any rupture has taken place. To prevent this 

 and to antagonize the causes which might precipitate the final 

 catastrophe — the elevation of the toes — resort must be had to the 

 slings and to the application of firm bandages or splints, perhaps 



