FRACTURES. 331 



Fracture of the sesamoid bones. — ^There are but two instances of this on record. 

 The first is related by Mr. Fuller of iNIarch. He was galloping steadily and not 

 rapidly a horse of his own, when the animal suddenly fell as if he had been shot. 

 He was broken down in both fore legs. The owner very humanely ordered him to 

 be immediately destroyed. Both the perforans and perforatus tendons of the near fore 

 leg were completely ruptured, just where they pass over the sesamoid bone, which 

 was fractured in a transverse direction. The sesamoid bone of the off leg was frac- 

 tured in the same direction, but the tendons were entire.* 



The second case is one described by Mr. Harris of Preston. A strong coachlike 

 animal was galloped rapidly. He had not gone more than a hundred yards before he 

 suddenly fell, and it was with great difficulty that he could be led home, a distance 

 of about two miles. There was soon considerable swelling in the off fore leg — great 

 pain on the animal's attempting to walk, and his fetlock nearly touched the ground. 

 Some slight crepitus could be detected, but the exact seat of it could not be ascer- 

 tained. Mr. Harris considered the case as hopeless, but the owner would have some 

 means tried to save the animal. He was accordingly bled and physicked, and cold 

 lotions and bandages were applied to the foot. Two days afterwards some bony 

 spiculaj began to protrude through the skin, and, the case being now perfectly hope- 

 less, the animal was destroyed. The inner sesamoid bone was shivered to atoms. f 



Fracture of the upper pastern. — Thick and strong, and movable as this bone 

 seems to be, it is occasionally fractured. This has been the consequence of a violent 

 effort by the horse to save himself from falling, when he has stumbled, — it has hap- 

 pened when he has been incautiously permitted to run down a steep descent — and has 

 occurred when a horse has been travelling on the best road, and at no great pace. 



The existence of fracture in this bone is, generally speaking, easily detected. The 

 injured foot is as lightly as possible permitted to come in contact with the ground. As 

 little weight as may be is thrown on it, or, if the animal is compelled to use it, the 

 fetlock is bent down nearly to the ground, and the toe is turned upward. If the foot 

 is rotated, a crepitus is generally heard. 



This, however, is not always the case. M. Levrat was requested to examine a 

 horse that had suddenly become lame. The near hind leg was retracted, and the 

 foot was kept from touching the ground. He carefully examined the foot, and dis- 

 covered that much pain was expressed when the pastern was handled. He suspected 

 fracture of the bone, but he could not detect it. He bled the animal, ordered cooling 

 applications to the part, and gave a dose of physic. Three days afterwards he again* 

 saw his patient, and readily detected a fracture, taking a direction obliquely across 

 the pastern.:}; 



The probability of success in the treatment of this fracture, depends on its being 

 a simple or compound one. If it runs laterally across the bone, it may be readily 

 and successfully treated — if it extends to the joints above and below, it will proba- 

 bly terminate in anchylosis, and if the bone is shivered, as it too frequently is, into 

 various parts, there would scarcely seem the possibility of a successful treatment of 

 the case. The instances, however, are numerous in which the case terminates suc- 

 cessfully. Hurtrel d'Arboval recommends that a bandage steeped in some adhesive 

 matter should be applied from the coronet to the middle of the leg. On this some 

 wet pasteboard is to be moulded, enveloped afterwards in a linen bandage. A small 

 splint is now to be applied before and behind and on each side and the hollow places 

 are filled with tow, in order to give them an equal bearing. If this does not appear 

 to be sufficiently secure, other splints, thicker and broader, are placed over those ex- 

 tending to the knee or the hock. 



The case related by M. Levrat was treated in this way. It will be comparatively 

 seldom that it will be necessary to suspend the patient. The animal, under the treat- 

 ment of M. Levrat, kept his foot in the air for nearly three weeks. At the end of 

 that period he now and then tried to rest his toe on the litter. Six weeks after the 

 accident, he began to throw some weight on the foot; and a few days afterwards he 

 was able to go to a pond, about fifty paces from his stable, and where, of his own 

 accord, he took a foot-bath for nearly an hour at a time. At the expiration of anothej 



* Veterinarian, vol. iil. p. 393. t Veterinarian, vol. v. p. 375. 



t Rec. de Med. Vet., Nov. 1831. 



