FRACTURES. 325 



tion of every injury of the membrane of the nose, and, in fact, of every chronic dis- 

 ease of the frame, will appear — glanders. 



If, however, glanders do not appear, some portion of bone may remain depressed, 

 or the membrane may be thickened by inflammation. The nasal passage will then 

 be obstructed, and a difficulty of breathing, resembling roarino-, will ensue. 



The superior maxillarv, or upper jaw-bone, will occasionally lie fractured. Mr. 

 Cartwright had a case in which it was fractured by a kick at the situation where it 

 unites with the lachrymal and malar bones. He applied the trephine, and removed 

 many small pieces of bone. The wound was then covered by adhesive plaster, and 

 in a month the parts were healed. 



Mt. Clayworth speaks of a mare who, being ridden almost at speed, fell and frac- 

 tured the upper jaw, three inches above the corner incisors. The front teeth and jaw 

 were turned like a hook, completely within the lower ones. She was cast, a hailing 

 iron put into her mouth, and the surgeon, exerting considerable force, pulled the teeth 

 outward into their former and proper situation. She was then tied up, so that she 

 could not rub her muzzle against anything, and was well fed with bean-meal, and 

 linseed tea. Much inflammation ensued, but it gradually subsided, and, at the expira- 

 tion of the sixth week, the mouth was quite healed, and scarcely a vestige of the frac- 

 ture remained. 



A very extraordinary and almost incredible account of a fracture of the superior 

 maxillary bone is given in the records of the Royal and Central Society of Agricul- 

 ture in France. A horse was kicked by a companion. There was fracture of the 

 upper part of the superior maxillary, and zygomatic bones, and the eye was almost 

 forced out of the socket. Few men would have dared to undertake a fracture like 

 this, but M. Revel shrank not from his duty. He removed several small splinters of 

 bone — replaced the larger bones — returned the eye to its socket — confined the parts by 

 means of sufficient sutures — slung the horse, and rendered it impossible for the animal 

 to rub his head against anything. In six weeks, the cure was complete. 



The maxillary bone, or lower jaw, is more subject to fracture, and particularly 

 in its branches between the tushes and the lower teeth, and at the symphysis between 

 the two branches of the jaw. Its position, its length, and the small quantity of muscle 

 that covers it, especially anteriorly, are among the causes of its fracture, and the same 

 circumstances combine to render a reunion of the divided parts more easy to be 

 accomplished. Mr. Blaine relates that, in a fracture of the lower jaw, he succeeded 

 by making a strong leather frame that exactly encased the whole jaw. The author 

 of this volume has effected the same object by similar means. 



M. H. Boulay attended a horse, fracture of whose lower maxillary had taken place 

 at the neck of that bone, between the tushes and the corner incisor teeth. The whole 

 of the interior part of the maxillary bone in which the incisor teeth were planted, was 

 completely detached from the other portion of the bone, and the parts were merely 

 held together by the membrane of the mouth. 



The horse was cast — the corner tooth on the left side extracted — the wound tho- 

 loughly cleansed — the fractured bones brought into contact — some holes were drilled 

 between the tushes and the second incisor teeth, above and below, through which 

 some pieces of brass wire were passed, and thus the jaws were apparently fixed 

 immovably together. The neck of the maxillary bone was surrounded by a suffi- 

 cient compress of tow, and a ligature tied around it, with its bearing place on the 

 tushes, and all motion thus prevented. 



The horse was naturally an untractable animal, and in his efforts to open his jaws, 

 the wires yielded to his repeated struggles, and were to a certain degree separated. 

 The bandage of tow was, however, tightened, and was sufficient to retain the fractured 

 edges in apposition. 



The mouth now began to exhale an infectious and gangrenous odour ; the animal 

 was dispirited, and would not take any food; gangrene was evidently approaching, 

 and Mr. Boulay determined to amputate the inferior portion of the maxillary bone, 

 the union of which seemed to be impossible. The sphacelated portion of the maxil- 

 lary was entireljr removed ; every fragment of bone that had an oblique direction was 

 sawn away, and the rough and uneven portions which the saw could not reach, were 

 rasped off. 



Before night, the horse had recovered his natural spirits, and was searching for 

 something to eat. On the following day, a few oats were given to him, and he ate 

 28 



