250 FRACTURES. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



FRACTURES. 



THESE are of not unfrequent occurrence in the dog ; and I once had five 

 cases in my hospital at the same time. 



In the human subject, fractures are more frequent in adults, and, perhaps, 

 in old men than in infants ; but this is not the case with the smaller animals 

 generally, and particularly with dogs. Five-sixths of the fractures occur 

 between the time of weaning and the animal being six months old ; not, 

 perhaps, because of their chemical composition, that the bones are more 

 fragile at this age ; but because young dogs are more exposed to fall from 

 the hands of the persons who carry them, and from the places to which 

 they climb ; and the extremities of the bones, then being in the state of 

 epiphysis, are easily separated from the body of the bone. When the 

 fracture takes place in the body of the bone, it is transverse or somewhat 

 oblique, but there is scarcely any displacement. 



A simple bandage will be sufficient for the reduction of these fractures, 

 which may be removed in ten or twelve days, when the preparatory callus 

 has acquired some consistence. One only out of twenty dogs that were 

 brought to me with fractures of the extremities, in the year 1834, died. 

 Two dogs had their jaws fractured by kicks from horses, and lost several 

 of their teeth. In one of them the anterior part of the jaw was fractured 

 perpendicularly ; in the other, both branches were fractured. Plenty of 

 good soup was injected into their mouths. Ten or twelve days afterwards, 

 they were suffered to lap it ; and in a little while they were dismissed 

 cured. 



It will be desirable, perhaps, to describe our usual method of reducing 

 the greater part of the fractures which come under our notice. 



I. The humerus was fractured just above the elbow and close to the 

 joint. The limb was enclosed in adhesive plaster, and supported by a firm 

 bandage. The bones were beginning to unite, when, by some means con- 

 cerning which I could never satisfy myself, the tibia was broken a little 

 above the hock. Nothing could well be done with this second fracture ; 

 but great care was taken with regard to the former. The lower head of 

 the humerus remained somewhat enlarged ; but the lameness became very 

 slight, and in three weeks had nearly or quite disappeared. Nothing was 

 done to the second fracture ; in fact, nothing more than a slight annular 

 enlargement, surrounding the part, remained a proof of the renovating 

 power of nature. 



II. A spaniel was run over by a light carriage. It was unable to put 

 the left hind leg to the ground, and at the upper tuberosity of the ileum 

 some crepitus could be distinguished. I subtracted six ounces of blood, 

 administered a physic-ball, and ordered the patient to be well fomented 

 with warm water several times during the night. On the following day no 

 wound could be discovered, but there was great tenderness. I continued 

 the fomentation. Two or three days afterwards she was evidently easier. 



