328 FRACTURES. 



Fracture of the tail. — This accident is not of frequent occurrence, except from 

 accidental entanglement, or the application of brute force. The fracture is easily- 

 recognised, frequently by the eye and always by the fingers. If the tail is not ampu- 

 tated, a cord passed over a pulley, and with a small weight attached to it, will bring 

 the separated bones again into apposition, and in about a month the natural cartilage 

 of the part will be sufficiently re-instated. 



Fractures of the limbs. — These, fortunately, are of rare occurrence in the horse, 

 for although their divided edges might be easily brought again into apposition, it 

 would be almost impossible to retain them in it, for the slightest motion would dis- 

 place them. A rapid survey of each may not, however, be altogether useless. 



Fracture of the shoulder. — ^l^he author is not aware of the successful treatment 

 of this accident by any English veterinary surgeon. Mr. Fuller attempted it, but from 

 the difficulty of keeping the divided edges of the bone in apposition with each other, 

 and the natural untractableness of the animal, and symptoms of tetanus beginning to 

 appear, the patient was destroyed. The fracture was a little above the neck of the 

 scapula, and the muscles were dreadfully lacerated.* 



It is not at all times easy to discover the existence and precise situation of fracture 

 of the humerus. The lameness is very great — the animal will not bear at all upon 

 the broken limb — he will drag it along the ground — he will move slowly and with 

 difficulty, and his progression will consist of a succession of short leaps. The lifting 

 of the foot will give very great pain. If he is roughly handled, he will sometimes 

 rear, or throw himself suddenly down. By careful application of the hand a crepitus 

 will more or less distinctly be heard. The chances are almost materially against the 

 union of a fracture of the humerus. The patient must be kept constantly suspended, 

 and splints and bandages carefully applied. M. Delaguette attended an entire draught- 

 horse, whose humerus had been fractured by the kick of a mare. The fracture 

 extended longitudinally through two-thirds of the length of the bone, and the parts 

 were separated from each other. They were brought again into apposition, and kept 

 so by means of pitch plasters and splints. The horse was put into slings; the pave- 

 ment of the stable was taken up ; a hollow dug under the fractured limb, and this 

 depression filled with straw, in order to afford a soft support for the foot. He was 

 bled, gruel alone given as food, and injections daily administered. 



On the 25th day the rollers were removed and replaced. On the 40th day he began 

 to rest on the fractured limb. On the 60th day the bandages were removed — the frac- 

 ture had been well consolidated, and the horse rested his weight upon it. It is 

 reluctantly added that he was afterwards destroyed, on account of some disease of 

 the loins.j" 



Fracture of the arm. — This accident is not of unfrequent occurrence. It com- 

 monly takes an oblique direction, and is usually first discovered by the displacement 

 of the limb. Mr. Gloag, of the 10th Hussars, gives an interesting account of a case 

 that occurred in his practice. " An entire black cart-horse was grazing in a field, into 

 which some mares were accidentally turned. One of them kicked him severely a 

 little above the knee. He, however, contrived to get home, and, being carefully 

 examined, there was found a simple fracture of the radius, about an inch and a half 

 above the knee. The ends of the fractured bone could be heard distinctly grating 

 against each other, both in advancing the leg and turning it sideway from the body. 

 He was immediately placed in a sling not completely elevated from the ground, but 

 in which he could occasionally relieve himself by standing. The leg was well bathed 

 with warm water, and the ends of the bone brought as true to their position as possible. 

 Some thin slips of green wood were then immersed in boiling water until they would 

 readily bend to the shape of the knee, and they were tied round the joint, reaching 

 about nine inches above and six below the knee, the ends of them being tied round 

 with tow. 



A fortnight afterwards he became very troublesome, knocking his foot on the ground, 

 and when, at the expiration of the sixth week, he was taken from the slings, there 

 was a considerable bonv deposit above the knee. This, however, gradually subsided 

 as the horse regained his strength, and, with the exception of turning the leg a little 

 outwards, he is as useful as ever for common purposes.":^: 



Fracture of the elbow. — This is far more exposed to danger than the two las* 



• Vetermarian, vol. viii., p. 143. t Journal Pratique, Dec. 1834. i Veterinarian, vol. iv, p. 422 



