306 FEACTURES. 



ischium). The hip joint, on each side, is formed by the head of the 

 thigh bone (Figs. 115 and 116) and a cavity in the pelvis ("Hip 

 joint," Fig. 118). 



VARIETIES AND GRAVITY. — Regarding the pelvis as a nearly 

 complete though extremely irregular hoop of bone (Fig. 119), we 

 may divide its fractures into (1) those through the body or hoop, 

 and (2) those not extending through the body or hoop. The former, 

 with the exception, in some cases, of fracture of the posterior iliac 

 spine, are very serious, especially if the division of bone extends into 

 the hip joint. The latter are much less grave; for apart from the 

 extremely serious complication of injury to the hip joint, fracture 

 of the body or hoop is liable to be followed by an amount of dis- 

 placement that will permanently interfere with the movements of 

 the hind limb, and, in brood mares, with the safe delivery of the 

 foal. Here comes the question : in fracture of the pelvis, when is 

 it worth while to preserve the life of the patient ■? Setting aside 

 cases of stallions which are so valuable for breeding purposes that 

 an attempt at saving their lives should be made at all hazards, I 

 would answer this query by saying that the only hopeful cases are 

 those of the point of the hip, the joint of the buttock, posterior 

 iliac spine, and those in which little or no displacement takes place, 

 except when the fracture extends into the hip joint. 



CAUSES. — The usual causes are falls and blows. Fracture into 

 the hip joint (fracture of the acetabulum) generally occurs, I think, 

 from the horse falling on top of his thigh bone (trochanter major, 

 see Figs. 115 and 116), as might happen by the animal " hitting " a 

 fence and " turning over." In such a case, the shock would be 

 transmitted by the head of the thigh bone to the cavity (the aceta- 

 bulum) in the pelvis, with the probable result of fracture in the 

 joint. 



EXAMINATION AND SYMPTOMS.— (1) Lameness. As muscles 

 which help to draw back the leg are attached to the point of the 

 hip, posterior iliac spine, and point of the buttock, the animal, in 

 fracture of any of these points of bone, will have difficulty in ad- 

 vancing the leg of the afflicted side, although he may be able to 

 stand fairly well on it. When ih'd hip joint is implicated, the horse 

 will evince disinclination to bear weight on the limb of the sore 

 side or to move it. In the large majority of cases of fracture of 

 the pelvis, lameness will be present. Although the lameness 

 of fracture of the pelvis has not any characteristic peculiarity, we 

 may often observe that the sufferer walks as if his back was injured, 

 and carries the hind leg of the suffering side stiffly to the front, 



