325 



The fracture of the cubitus alone, principally above the radio-cubital 

 arch, may be ascertained by the aggravated lameness, the excessive 

 soreness on pressure, and i^erhajis a certain increase of motion, with 

 a very slight crepitation if tested for in the usual waj'. Disi^lacement 

 is not likely to take jDlace except when it is well up towards the ole- 

 cranon or its tuberosity, the upper segment of the bone being in that 

 case likelj' to be drawn upwards. For a simple fracture of this region 

 there exists a fair chance of recovery, but in a case of the compound 

 and comminuted class there is less ground for a favorable prognosis, 

 esijecially if the elbow joint has suffered injur3\ A fracture of the 

 cubitus alone is not of serious importance, excejjt when the same con- 

 ditions prevail. A fracture of the olecranon is less amenable to 

 treatment, and promises little better than a ligamentous union. 



Considering all the various conditions involving tlie nature and 

 extent of these lesions, the position and direction of the bones of the 

 forearm are such as to render the chances for recovery from fracture 

 as among the best. The reduction, by extension and counter exten- 

 sion; the maintenance of the coa^Dtation of the segments; the adapta- 

 tion of the dressing by splints, oakum, and agglutinative mixtures; in 

 a word, all the details of treatment may be here fulfilled with a degree 

 of facility and precision not attainable in any other pnvt of the organ- 

 ism. An important if not an essential jDoint, however, must be empha- 

 sized in regard to the sx)lints. Whether these are of metal, wood, or 

 other material, they should reach from the elbow joint to the ground, 

 and should be placed on the posterior face and on both sides of the 

 leg. This is then to be so confined in a i^roperly constructed box as 

 to preclude all i30ssibility of motion, while yet it must sustain a cer- 

 tain portion of the weight of the bod3\ The iron splint (represented 

 in Plate XXYII) recommended by Bourgelet is designed for fractures 

 of the forearm, of the knee, and of the cannon bone, and will prove 

 to be an appliance of great value. For small animals our preference 

 is for an external covering of gutta percha, embracing the entire leg. 

 A sheet of this substance of suitable thickness, according to the size 

 of the animal, softened in lukewarm water, is, when sufficientlj' pli- 

 able, molded on the outside of the leg, and when suddenly hardened by 

 the ai)plication of cold water forms a connjlete casing sufficiently^ rigid 

 to resist all motion. Patients treated in this manner have been able to 

 use the limb freely, without i^ain, immediately after the application 

 of the dressing. The removal of the splint is easily effected by cutting 

 it awaj", either wholly or in sections, after softening it by immersing 

 the leg in a warm bath. 



Fracture of tlie Ixuee. — This accident, happily, is of rare occurrence, 

 but when it takes j)lace is of a severe character, being of the commi- 

 nuted kind, and always accompanied by sj^novitis, with disease of the 

 joint, requiring for treatment therefor, besides the indication of perfect 

 immobility of the joint, that of open joints, synovitis, and arthritis. 



