SPECIAL INJURIES OF THE BONES. 335 



wounded, so that the deep wounds may correspond with the 

 Buperficial, and wash off with a stream of tepid water or soft 

 clean sponge all dirt or foreign bodies, but never probe nor run 

 any risk of opening cavities which have not been injured. Any 

 shreds of tissue which are absolutely dead should be cut off, but 

 never remove any skin, however contused, as it will all be 

 wanted. Then cutting the hair from the flaps of the wound 

 above and below bring them together by straps of plaster or 

 tow dipped in shellac paste, leaving sufficient intervals for the 

 escape of matter. If the wound inflames and swells, give a 

 purgative and dress with the lotion advised for bruised knee. 

 In all severe cases it is desirable to sling the patient after- the 

 first few days to obviate any attempt to lie down, which would 

 seriously protract the case ; 4th, the exposure of the tendons, 

 with the escape of glairy synovia, will entail more swelling and 

 fever and permanent enlargement of the joint, but wiU demand 

 the same course of treatment ; 5th, when the tendons are 

 crushed or torn and the joint opened, and above all when the 

 bones are broken we have cases of increasing severity, and in 

 few such is it desirable to subject to treatment, unless the 

 patient is to be valuable for breeding purposes. Considerable 

 death of tendon and even necrosis and elimination of bone may 

 be expected, and the patient can only recover with a stiff joint. 

 In addition to the measures already recommended, it becomes 

 nnperative to encase the limb up to the elbow in splints and 

 bandages, as for a fracture, leaving open the part in Iront 01 tne 

 knee for dressing the wound. 



SPLINTS. 



These are circumscribed inflammations of the periosteum and 

 *mall bones in the region of the shank, involving or not the 

 slunk-bones themselves, and resulting in small bony swellings. 

 They occur almost invariably on the inner side ot the limb, be- 

 tween the large and small bones ol the shank, and may usually 



