352 SPRAIN OF THE FLEXOR TENDONS. 



of both fore hoofs immediately came more completely down upon 

 the ground, so that the animal in walking — which he still did with 

 tolerable freedom — seemed as though he was suffering from fever 

 in the feet. Afterwards, the suspensory ligaments of both legs were 

 cut through. Immediately, the animal was let down upon his fet- 

 locks, walking twenty or thirty yards without any great risk of 

 falling, unless when hurried out of the walk; although at the time he 

 went, actually bearing — instead of upon" his hoofs, which were now 

 inflected upwards by the unopposed action of the extensor muscles 

 — upon the tufts of hair growing from his fetlocks : the pasterns 

 the while being bent down upon a level with the ground. 



In severe Sprain, however, although there is no absolute 

 rend asunder of tendon, there exists, owing to the violence that 

 has been used, sad lesion to various tissues. The cellular and 

 fibrous sheaths, attachments, and envelopes are, no doubt, much 

 stretched beyond their powers, in places, in fact, lacerated. Nor have 

 we any right to suppose that either tendons or ligaments come off 

 unscathed; but that, on the contrary, fibres of one or both, in 

 places, from forcible efforts of extension, occasionally yield and 

 give way, and thus add materially to the complication of the 

 injury inflicted. After all, however, that can be said by way of 

 pathological exposition, much must be left to conjecture. One 

 thing is certain ; and that is, that violent inflammation follows so 

 severe an accident, in the train of which come swelling and heat, 

 pain, tenderness and excessive lameness. The horse literally hops 

 upon his flexed limb, not daring to impose a fraction of weight 

 upon it, nor suffering it to be extended or even handled, ever so 

 gingerly. The effusion which has taken place, by the third or 

 fourth day after the accident, is so great that the limb is swollen 

 from knee to fetlock, even down to foot, and in some cases up- 

 ward as well ; the tendency of such tumefaction being to run on 

 to the permanent agglutination of parts together into one solid 

 mass ; and through the changes from softness to hardness, from 

 hardness to callus and thickening, and even scirrhus, to render 

 such unnatural union permanent and irremediable : causing in this 

 manner roundness and hardness of leg, and stiffness, if not actual 

 lameness, in action, for the rest of the animal's days. 



