BTBAIN8.] 



MODERN VETERTNAKY PTJArTICi:. 



[BTRAiyS. 



lightly; then, instead ot'ciittintjiit tlio most prii- 

 duloiis j>iirtofthes;u',a3 in castration, ciiutiously 

 cut into tlie sac near the seatn or pubis, runnin<j 

 between the saes of the serotmn. Next take 

 tlie scalpel, and divide the inte-^iiini. nts care- 

 fully, until the contents of the sac can be felt 

 with the fin^;er. The opening made should be 

 so small as only to admit the point of the 

 fore iin<:er. If the sac should bo large or di- 

 lated, tirst make an incision on the side, tliat 

 the fore finger may be introduced as far as 

 possible ; tuen a second cut should be made, 

 allowiug the fiuger to bo the dire"*^^'^" This 



being accomplished, introtluco the fmger into 

 the abdomen, and feel fur the abdominal ring. 

 When this has been accomplirthed, tako a bin- 

 tory, and run it down by your finger, and 

 partially cut through the ring, keeping the 

 edge of the history bearing forward and up- 

 ward. Should you succeed in reducing the 

 hernia at first, the object is gained ; but if not, 

 vou may cautiously try again, and divide the 

 ring, should such be required. Immediately 

 castrate the horse on that side. Give a gentlo 

 dose of mcdiciue and soft food, as braa 

 mashes, &c. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



STRAINS. — STRAINS IN GENERAL; IN TnE SHOULDER; BACK SINEWS ; OVER- STEPPING ; BREAKING-D0T7N ; 

 RUPTURE OF THE BACK SINEW; STRAIN OF THE FETLOCK JOINT; COFFIN JOINT; ROUND BONE; 

 STIFLE JOINT; ON CURB. 



STRAINS IN GENERAL. 1 



Strain's are of two kinds; the one originating' 

 in the ligamentary parts, by which the different I 

 joints are preserved in contact : the other, in 

 a relaxation of the muscles or tendons, or in a 

 rupture of any of the membranes covering or 

 adhering to such tendons, the purposes of 

 which are the direct office of motion. Hence 

 it is, that the farrier and the groom are so fre- 

 quently at a loss for their definition of any 

 particular lameness, fixing by conjecture upon 

 any part, and attributing it to any cause but 

 the right one. In giving their judgments, of 

 course, they are seldom directed by any mental 

 information, having little or no conception or 

 scientific knowledge of the structure of parts, 

 their purposes or appropriations. 



The elastic part of a tendon or sinew, is that 

 which is the muscular, of which, in fact, the 

 tendon is a continuation only, with this differ- 

 ence, that the tendon is made by nature to 

 occupy a much smaller space than the muscle; 

 for it would destroy the synmietry of the ani- 

 mal if the mn?cles of the fore leg were to extend 

 down to the heel, instead of that fine uniform 

 make which the tendon gives, especially to the 



race-horse. The tendon is not of that elastic 

 nature that some writers have described, but it is 

 in the muscular end where the elasticity exists. 

 This, at first sight, may appear strange, for the 

 injury takes place in the tendon, and not in the 

 muscle ; and for this reason, the non- elasticity 

 of the tendon and its sheath will rather sub- 

 mit to rupture, from want of the elastic 

 quality. These tendons, or sinews, are strong 

 substances, composed of innumerable threads 

 or fibres, possessing the properties of extension 

 and contraction to a certain degree, beyond 

 which their flexibility cannot be extended 

 without palpable injury and certain lameness; 

 for by overstraining their elastic quality, small 

 as it is, rupture is the consequence, accom- 

 panied with lameness in proportion to the 

 injury sustained. 



To render this idea as clear as possible, let 

 us suppose that a horse is going at his best 

 pace on the trot, and in so doing his toe covers 

 a prominence, or the edge of one. In such a 

 case the heel has no support ; and the conse- 

 quence is, an extension of the tendons, or a 

 rupture of the same ; by which means part of 

 nature's work is destroyed, and what is termed 



