308 DISEASES OF CATTLE, 



"with the process of repair, and injudicious bandaging are potent fac- 

 tors in bringing about this condition, and the discontinuance of either 

 or both will often leave no necessity for special treatment. 



Contused or lacerated wounds. — These are usuall}^ caused by a 

 blow with some blunt instrument, by the breaking of the flooring, or 

 when an animal gets one of its limbs through or over the partition 

 between the stalls. The seriousness depends largely on the depth of 

 the injury, and treatment should be directed to allaying the inflam- 

 mation and preventing the consequent tendency to sloughing. To this 

 end soothing applications, such as fomentations and poultices, are 

 plainly indicated. 



Methods or healing. — Technically these may be divided into a 

 number of distinct processes, but practically we may speak of them as 

 two only, namely, b}' primary union, or adhesion, and by granulation. 

 As suppuration is not so liable to occur in cattle as in the horse, heal- 

 ing by the former and more speedy process is much more common in 

 the first-named si:)ecies, more particularly in clean-cut or incised 

 wounds, provided they have been stitched within twelve houi"s from 

 the time the injury which caused them was inflicted, that they have 

 been kept clean, and that the patient has by some means been kept 

 fairly still. This latter stipulation is probably hardest to comply 

 with. Quiet is an important factor in the process of repair among 

 the lower animals as well as their masters, and the rule is none the 

 less good because, unfortunately, it is more frequently honored in the 

 breach than in the observance. Healing by this method is in some 

 eases extraordinarily quick, vmion between the divided parts having 

 been known to take place as soon as twenty-four hours after their 

 adjustment by the surgeon. 



The second method of healing, namely, by granulation, which is, 

 however, the manner in which most Avounds in animals heal, takes 

 much longer time. In punctured wounds of any depth healing 

 necessarily takes place in this way only, and the treatment should 

 be directed largely to alleviating pain and moderating inflamma- 

 tion. The former can be accomplished by opium applied locally in 

 the form of the diluted tincture, or given internally in repeated small 

 doses; and the latter by aconite or fluid extract of gelsemium, 25 to 

 30 drops of either of which are given in the drinking water or 

 dropped on the tongue at intervals, depending on the severity of 

 the fever. 



After-treatment ant) dressing of wounds. — The dressing of 

 wounds, whether they have been attended to by a veterinarian or not, 

 is a matter which, in case of cattle, invariably devolves upon the 

 owner or his employees. It must not, however, be inferred from this 

 that the matter is of secondary importance. The dressing of wounds 

 is one of the most important branches of veterinary surgery, and one 



