382 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



foot, having a straight piece of iron, eight inches in length, welded 

 on to the ground surface of the toe of the shoe. The ol ject in 

 applying this contrivance was to prevent flexion, to keep i he di- 

 vided ends of the tendon apart, and to guard against direct uniou 

 of the same. The operation finally proved successful. 



The following case occurred in the practice of Professor Bra chet 4 

 as given in the " Veterinary Record : " 



" This most extraordinary case was observed in September, 1856, 

 three months after the inundation of the Rhone, on a farm near 

 this river. The subject of the disease was a filly, three months 

 old. She was born perfectly straight on her legs, but about fifteen 

 days after birth the fore-limbs became bent, and the deformity 

 increased so rapidly that when Brachet saw the animal it moved 

 on its knees. It was with great difficulty that, by efforts to extend 

 the limb, the acute angle formed at the knee could at all be 

 widened, and such an experiment gave great pain to the animal. 

 The dam being taken out of the stable, Brachet was astonished 

 to see the iillv walking after her on her knees, almost as fast as if 

 progressing naturally. On the front of the knee the skin was hard 

 and callous, the tendons behind it were rigid and immovable, and 

 Brachet decided on performing tenotomy. The animal was cast 

 and the near fore-leg operated upon. An incision was made, about 

 an inch in length, at the back of the arm, in a line with the upper 

 part of the carpus ; the tendon of the flexor metaearpi extern us 

 was first cut, then one of the medius, and, lastly, that of the inter- 

 nal flexor of the metacarpus, when the limb straightened. A 

 splint was placed in front of the leg. Eight days afterward the 

 off limb was operated upon ; fifteen days later the splints were 

 removed, and, in the course of a month, the filly stood well, but in 

 moving carried her fore-legs forward in a piece. Flexion at the 

 knee could not be effected, but the young animal improved rapidly ; 

 the limbs became strong, and though slightly bowed, their action 

 was perfect. Brachet believes the deformity arose from rheuma- 

 tism, induced by the damp on the occasion of the overflowing of 

 the river near the farm." 



The following is Mr. Percivall's method of performing te- 

 notomy for sprung knees: 



" The operation of tenotomy, though a formidable one for the 

 patient, is not a difficult one for the operator. The object is sec- 

 tinD of the flexor tendons, the effect of which, as we have seen, is '.a 



