THEIR PATHOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT. 7 



those put to fast work ; and as these tendons support a good deal of the 

 animal's weight when the foot comes to the ground in galloping or 

 jumping they become strained. It also often happens to cart horses, 

 especially those used on hilly roads, and to others that are constantly pushed 

 beyond their natural pace. The flexor or bending tendons are inclosed 

 in a sheath of cellular substance, for their greater protection, and by 

 sudden or sustained over- exertion, this sheath gets injured by the pressure 

 of the tendon, and if the injury be slight it may be confined to the sheath, 

 and may exist some time without lameness, or so little as to be un- 

 observed, or thought unworthy attention, but unless the horse has rest 

 and attention it will be sure to get worse and worse, and end in permanent 

 lameness. 



In bad cases some of the ligamentous fibres get ruptured, whereby the 

 inflammation is increased, and considerable lameness at once produced ; in 

 such cases the limb is flexed or bent, the horse endeavours to save the 

 leg from having any weight, the toe only is put to the ground, and the 

 local swelling, heat, and tenderness will plainly indicate the seat of the 

 injury. In slighter cases of strain of the back sinews the horse shows the 

 lameness most on first being taken out of the stable ; and as it in some 

 such instances disappears with moderate exercise, it has led to the 

 belief that it can be worked off; but such a thing never occurs, and invari- 

 ably, after standing a while, the lameness will be found to have returne<3» 

 and without proper treatment and prolonged rest, it will get worse and 

 worse. 



In bad or repeated strains, and particularly when proper care has 

 not been taken, stimulating liniments or other improper applications used, 

 and when the horse has been again put to work before the parts have 

 recovered their proper state, the sinews become shortened or contracted, 

 the horse steps only on his toe, and the front of the fetlock comes almost, 

 or entirely, to the ground, the joint being what is termed overshot. Pre- 

 ventive measures are, to a great extent, in every horse owner's and driver's 

 hands, and the exercise of care, judgment, and humanity in using the 

 horse, would, in a great majority of cases, at once save the animal from much 

 suffering and his owner from pecuniary loss. Unfortunately, however, the 

 willing beast is in too many instances treated with the utmost heart- 

 lessness, and used and valued merely as a steam engine or other machine, 

 costing so much money, and to be made to realise so much at -whatever 

 cost of pain and suffering to the dumb brute. But, taking it on the lowest 

 grounds, this system does not pay, for even apiece of mechanism 

 like a steam engine cannot, with ultimate profit, be constantly driven 

 at the highest pressure ; how much less the finer and wonderfully compli- 

 cated organism of the horse. It is so far satisfactory to reflect that 

 Nemesis dogs the steps of inhumanity, but our friend and slave, the horse, 

 deserves consideration on higher grounds, and it is ever true "the mer- 

 ciful man is merciful to his beast." 



In attempting curative treatment in this, and, indeed in all similar acci* 



