BROKEN KNEES. 201 



of bluestone. When the interior of the knee joint is pene- 

 trated, the synovia will escape, and may readily be seen 

 on the surface of the wound. The wound should be well 

 sponged, and immediately closed, and unition brought 

 about if possible, and the most active measures taken 

 to allay all inflammatory symptoms by bran mashes, 

 physicking, &c. Great care should also be taken that 

 he be racked up, or he will endeavour to lie down, and 

 not only reopen the wound, but perhaps admit ex- 

 traneous substances. The most severe case that came 

 under my notice was that of a rather undersized cart- 

 horse, which fell on coming down a hill, with thirty 

 cwt. of bricks behind her, in a high two-wheeled cart ; 

 there was a leading horse attached to the shafts, which 

 jumped forward immediately it heard the scuffle, and 

 dragged the poor beast on its knees until the flesh arid 

 ligaments were completely torn away from the joints. 

 She was brought to me about two hours after the oc- 

 currence, having walked seven miles from the place 

 where the accident occurred. I had her racked up, 

 sponged her knees softly, closed up the joint, and 

 applied a lotion of chloride of zinc (of the strength of 

 one drachm to the pint of water) with a feather. I 

 continued this application for six weeks, about three 

 times a day, after which the wounds healed satis- 

 factorily ; and although the scars are large, she has had 

 the full use of her joints, and has been in hard work for 

 three years since the occurrence. I may here say, that, 

 owing to the amount of fatigue the mare had gone 

 through, I did not deem it prudent to have recourse to 



