46 VETERINARY LECTURES 



same state of rest and quietness, hence the difficulty in getting 

 recoveries. With flat bones, as the shoulder-blade and pelvic bones, 

 where they are enveloped with flesh, the ends of the bones are kept 

 fairly well in apposition, and at times do capitally, simply by putting 

 the animal on to the slings, with perfect quietness, and with a good 

 pitch charge applied over the affected parts. The bones of the 

 pastern joints, when the injury is not too extensive, also occasionally 

 do well, and where the animal is likely to be useful for stud purposes 

 it is worth the attempt. The best recoveries in fractures of the 

 lower bones of the limbs are obtained by putting on a good starch or 

 plaster-of-Paris bandage — the latter is preferable — and turning the 

 patient out to grass. It is astonishing, when the animal is left to 

 itself, how soon it can nurse the maimed limb. Fractures of the 

 long bones or weight - carriers, such as the thigh, forearm, and 

 shank, are the most difficult to deal with, especially in the horse, 

 which, if so injured, is generally destroyed; yet in the human being 

 these are the best to treat. The long bones of cattle and dogs unite 

 readily by putting on with melted burgundy pitch thick shoe-sole 

 leather splints, if inches broad, all being held with a bandage, 

 which is not too tight, so as to allow of the swelling which takes 

 place. When a bone is fractured, we sometimes have much consti- 

 tutional disturbance or traumatic fever set up, and this has to 

 be treated as well as the injured part (par. 38). Great care and 

 judgment are required in putting splints and bandages on a broken 

 limb. Splints made of stout shoe-sole leather are very useful, placed 

 so as to leave room between the splints for the limb to swell and for 

 the passage of the blood. A little melted burgundy pitch put on the 

 splint before placing it on the limb keeps it in its place. The 

 bandages as they are rolled on are smeared with the melted pitch, 

 and must not be pulled too tight, especially in young foals. 



82. Callus, a deposition of bony material. Before a fracture 

 can unite, inflammation has to take place, and reparative material 

 or bony exudate is thrown out between and around the broken ends 

 of the bone, taking about six or eight weeks to become consolidated, 

 and which on solidifying is called the callus. A great many weeks 

 are required before the muscles of the affected limb regain their 



