FRACTURES. 4,13 



require a,Tid then tlie animal witli Ms leg bound up is turned oiit if the 

 season permits : otherwise he is placed in a yard or box, wliere there is 

 not much straAV to incommode his movements. The ammal will take care 

 not to impose too much weight on his fractured limb ; and, provided the 

 parts are well secured, nature will generally perform 1 he rest. 



Fracture of the sesamoid bones.— There are but few instances ol this 

 on record. One is related by Mr. Fuller, of March, in the third volume of 

 the 'Veterinarian.' He was galloping steadily and not rapidly a liorse ot 

 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 ten- 

 dons 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 fractured in the same direction, but 

 the tendons were entire. . ^ t^ , ■ i.i gm 



Another case is one described by Mr. Harris, of Preston, m the fifth 

 volume of the 'Veterinarian.' A strong coach-like animal was galloped 

 rapidly. He had not gone more than a hundred yards before he suddenly 

 fell, and it was with g-reat difficulty that he could be led home a distance 

 of about two miles. There was soon considerable swelling m the oil lore 

 lco._o-reat pain on the animal's attempting to walk, and his fetlock nearly- 

 touched the ground. Some sliglit crepitus could be detected but die exact 

 seat of it could not be ascertained. Mr. Harris considered the case as 

 liopeless, 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 spicuhe began 

 to protrude through the skin, and, the case being now perfectly hopeless, 

 the animal was destroyed. The inner sesamoid bone was shivered to 



^ °Fracture of the upper paster^.— Thick and strong, and moveable as 

 this bone seems to be, it is occasionaUy fractured._ This has been the con- 

 sequence of a violent effort by the horse to save himself from falhng when 

 he has stumbled,— it has happened when he has been incautiously per- 

 mitted to run down a steep descent—and has occurred when a horse lias 

 been travelling on the best road, and at no great pace. _ 



The existence of fracture in this bone is, generally speakmg, easily 

 detected. The injured foot is as Hghtly as possible permitted to come m 

 contact with the groimd. As little weight as may be is thrown on it, or, 

 if the animal is compelled to use it, the fetlock is bent domi nearly to the 

 ground, and the toe is turned upward. If the foot is rotated a crepitus is 



2;enerally heard. . , , j • .-i -d j 



" This however, is not always the case. A case is related in the Mec.de 

 Med Vet ISTovember, 1831, in which 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 discovered that much pain was expressed when the pastern 

 was handled. He suspected fracture of the bone, but he could no. 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 obHquely across the pastern. 

 The probability of success in the treatment of this fractm^e, depends on 

 its being a simple or compound one. If it runs lateraUy across the bone, 

 it may be readily and successfully treated- if it extends to the joints above 

 and below, it will probably terminate in anchylosis, and il the bone is 

 shivered, as it too frequently is, into various parts, there would scarcely 

 seem the possibiHty of a successful treatment of the case. The instances. 



