320 CAPPED HOCK. 



swells to a great size ; constitutional irritation to a greater or less 

 amount supervenes, and we begin to wish we had never operated. 

 Some French veterinarians have, however, carried the practice 

 much farther than this ; they have ventured upon 



The Injection of Bursal Swellings after having pene- 

 trated them, which has appeared to me a still more hazardous pro- 

 ceeding. Nevertheless, a French surgeon — M. Velpeau, professor at 

 La Charite — having practised with much success the injection df 

 tincture of iodine, diluted, instead of solutions of zinc, in cases of 

 hydrocele in man, M. Bouley (the younger), a French veterinarian 

 of celebrity, resolved to give the same a trial in practice on horses 

 having enlarged bursse and joints. The latter, however, from woful 

 failures, seeming to infer some sort of contradiction to the state- 

 ments of the former, the Alfort College very properly took the 

 affair up, with the determination, so far as veterinary practice 

 went, of setting the question at rest. Accordingly, a horse having 

 " a puffy tumour growing upon the outer side of the hollow of the 

 hock, attended with some slight lameness,'' who had been twice 

 fired to no purpose, and who had now a similar tumour growing 

 opposite to the former on the inner side of the hock — who in fact, 

 as far as we can understand, exhibited an unusually large and in- 

 veterate thorough-pin, the diseased hock being altogether pretty 

 well double its natural size — had for it the following operation per- 

 formed : — The horse being cast, a (small) trocar was plunged into 

 the dependent part of the swelling. The withdrawal of the stilette 

 was followed by profuse efflux of limpid synovia, both tumours 

 being manipulated in order to completely empty them. This being 

 done, three syringes-ful of iodine mixture — one part tincture to 

 three parts water — were injected, which proved barely sufficient 

 to distend the sac as before. The injection was suffered to remain 

 in, three minutes, after which every pains were taken to squeeze 

 all of it out. The horse walked to his stable lamer than before ; 

 and the pain and lameness increased, and slight fever ensued. 

 Both fever and lameness, however, gradually abated, so that, after 

 three weeks had elapsed, his owner being of opinion the animal 

 was fit for work, took him away. Nothing was seen or heard of 

 the patient for upwards of three months afterwards, when he was 



