THE HORSE IN SICKNESS AND DISEASE 397 



splints, most of which left matters worse than before; of 

 these we may speak when we come to spavin and ringbone. 

 Among these were " thumping with a hammer, rubbing the 

 swelling with a stick, piercing it with a gimlet or hot iron, 

 and pressure by means of sheet lead, blistering, ' sweating ' 

 with acrid ' oils,' " etc., etc. 



We have mentioned nodes in conjunction with splints. 

 Of these Mr. Spooner says : "Bony tumours form on various 

 parts of the cannon-bone ; but, though sometimes large and 

 offensive to the eye, they rarely produce lameness. They 

 are more frequent with hunters than other horses, from 

 blows in leaping. Iodine ointment is the best treatment. 

 They also occur by the side of the sesamoid bones. When 

 near the suspensory ligament they often cause severe lame- 

 ness. Should they arise from strains of the ligaments they 

 are more obstinate, and blistering, or even firing becomes 

 necessary. In the latter case, persevere with the iodine 

 ointment." 



STRAIN OF THE FLEXOR TENDONS, OR " CLAP " OF THE 

 BACK SINEWS. 



This serious injury is of frequent occurrence, owing to 

 the violent exertions to which the horse is too often urged. 



There are, of course, degrees of this injury, and the terms, 

 a strain of the flexor tendon, a sprain of the back sinews, a 

 " clap " of the back sinews, a bad breakdown, may be taken 

 as mere progressive expressions of the degree of mischief 

 inflicted by one and the same kind of accident. In the case 

 of " breakdown," however, it is a rupture of the suspensory 

 ligament, as will be noted hereafter. 



When the strain is slight, we may not discover the injury 

 for some hours, when the animal, without being positively 

 lame, will go in an unusual manner, as if slightly cramped 

 or stiff. Pass the hand gently down the affected limb, and 

 a small swelling will be felt, and tenderness on pressure be 

 shown. Do not listen to any fellow who tells you : " Oh, 

 he will work sound ! " As Mayhew shrewdly says : " The 

 many horses seen in the London cab ranks with fore legs 

 permanently contracted bear witness to the result of such 

 very knowing treatment." To which we may add the 

 thousands of cases where complicated and permanent 

 disease destroys the wretched animal from first neglect. 



