SPEAIN OF THE BACK TENDONS. 957 



or what part is injured, the principle of treatment is the same, 

 when we have three indications presented: First, to allay the in- 

 flammatory process ; secondly, to promote absorption of the 

 decayed fibres ; and thirdly, to hasten the production of new 

 ones. Most authors recommend either local or general depletion 

 by bleeding from one of the large veins near the seat of injury, or 

 from the jugular vein of the neck. This, however, I think is 

 now-a-days very wisely dispensed with, and in my opinion is 

 altogether unnecessary. 



The bowels must be fi-eely opened, and kept open by laxative 

 and easily digested food, such as bran mash, linseed tea, roots, 

 etc. The continued application of heat or cold to the part aids 

 greatly in checking the inflammatory action. If pain and swell- 

 ing are excessive, hot fomentations continued for an hour or two, 

 alternated with cold water, will be found to give most relief. 

 (For particulars in fomenting, see Fomentation.) Gentle and 

 equable pressure, by means of a judicioush^ applied bandage, is 

 very beneficial in sprains of the leg. 



Rest must be given from the first, and the patient must be 

 turned into a loose-box. Having by these means succeeded in 

 subduing the inflammation, one or two applications of an absorb- 

 ing blister will generally remove any enlargement that may re- 

 main. Should the thickening and lameness prove obstinate, the 

 firing-iron may be resorted to. (An explanation of the method 

 of doing which, see Firing in Spavins.) 



Sprain of the Back Tendons. 



The principal seat of sprain in the fore limb is in the tendons 

 at the back part of the leg, usually called sprain of the back ten- 

 dons, or back sinews. As these tendon (flexor perforans and 

 perforatus) are the chief agents in producing the motions of the 

 limbs, acting like levers over the pulley-like surfaces on the ends 

 of the bones in their passage down to the foot, they* are conse- 

 quently very liable to be overstretched and strained, sometimes 

 in a very slight degree, and sometimes to a considerable extent. 

 It may be necessar}'' here to notice the arrangement of these two 

 tendons. The muscles (perforans and perforatus) arise from be- 

 low the elbow-joint, pass down through a theca at the back of 

 the knee ; below the knee, they become tendinous ; the first is one 



