335 



painless, apparently ^vilhout Inflammation, and not yet causing lame- 

 ness, but which, in a few hours, or it may be not until a few days, 

 becomes excessively painful, grows worse; the entire joint swells, 

 presently discharges, and at last a case of suppurative synovitis is 

 presented, with perhaps disease of the joint proper, and arthritis as 

 a climax. The symptoms of articular injuries vary not only in the 

 degrees of the hurt, but in the nature of the lesion. 



Or, the condition of hroken knees, resulting as we have said, may 

 have for its starting point a mere abrasion of the skin — a scratch 

 apparently, which disappears without a resulting scar. The injury 

 may, however, have been more severe, the blow heavier, the fall aggra- 

 vated \>j occurring upon an irregular surface, or sharp or rough object, 

 with tearing or cutting of the skin, and this laceration may remain. 

 A more serious case than the first is now brought to our notice. 



Another time, immediate!}' following the accident, or possibly as a 

 sequel of the traumation, the tendinous sacs may be oi^ened, with the 

 escape of the synovia; or worse, the tendons which i^ass in front of 

 the knee are torn, the inflammation has spread, the joint and leg are 

 swollen, the animal is becoming very lame ; synovitis has set in. With 

 this the danger becomes very great, for soon supi)uration will be estab- 

 lished, the external coat of the articulation proper become ulcerated, 

 if it is not alreadj^ in that state, and we find ourselves in the presence 

 of an open joint with suppurative synovitis — that is, with the worst 

 among the conditions of diseased x^rocesses, because of the liability of 

 the suppuration to become infiltrated into every part of the joint, 

 m-acerating the ligaments and irritating the cartilages, soon to be suc- 

 ceeded by their ulceration, with the destruction of the articular sur- 

 face, or the lesion of ulcerative arthritis, one of the gravest among all 

 the disorders known to the animal economy. 



But ulcerative arthritis and suppurative synovitis maj' be developed 

 in other connections than that with open joints; the simj^lest and 

 apparently most harmless punctures may prove to be cause sufficient. 

 For example, a horse may be kicked, perhaps, on the inside of the 

 hock; there is a mark and a fcAV droi)s of blood to indicate the spot; 

 he is put to work, apparently free from pain or lameness, and per- 

 forms his task with his usual ease and facility. But on the following 

 morning the hock is found to be a little swollen and there is some stiff- 

 ness. A little later on he betrays a degree of uneasiness in the leg, 

 and shrinks from resting his weight upon it, moving it \\\} and down 

 for relief. The swelling has increased and is increasing, the pain is 

 severe, and, finall}', there is an oozing at the sijot where the kick 

 impinged of an oily liquid mixed with whitish drops of suppuration. 

 The mischief is done and a simple, harmless punctured wound has 

 expanded into a case of ulcerative arthritis and sui^purative SA'novitis. 



From ever so brief and succinct description of this traumatism of the 

 articulations, the serious and important character of these lesions, 



