SPRAINS OF TENDONS, LIGAMENTS AND MUSCLES. 287 



peated; these two methods should be alternated for several days; 

 meanwhile the horse should be kept quite still in the box; if these 

 methods do not result in effecting a cure then the more severe 

 measures must be adopted, such as blistering sharply or firing 

 lightly; in the case of thickened tendons point or pin firing is the 

 best, as by this means blemishing is avoided and a good deal of 

 pain is saved. 



Before leaving the upper part of the fore legs it is necessary 

 to deal with a very common injury, namely broken knees; the 

 importance to be attached to this class of injury varies in degree 

 according to the extent of the damage done; but so long as the 

 sheath of the extensor tendon is not cut, nor the articulations be- 

 tween the rows of bones forming the knee penetrated, so as to 

 allow the escape of synovia (or joint oil) no better treatment than 

 the application of Calendula lotion, viz. , one part of the mother 

 tincture to three parts of water, can be adopted, the lotion may 

 be satisfactorily applied by means of the spray diffuser, a method 

 that has a decided advantage over the common practice of satura- 

 tion of lint which is kept in position with a bandage, inasmuch as 

 the formative material thrown out in the natural healing process 

 is not removed by the immediate application of a resisting medium, 

 moreover the horse is far more likely to stand quiet and not flex 

 (or bend) the knee if the healing agent is applied in this almost 

 imperceptible manner; it is quite true that in the first instance the 

 applications require to be frequent, say once every hour; but the 

 more speed}^ healing of the wound more than repays the slight 

 extra trouble this method involves. In cases where joint oil 

 escapes either from the_ knee or the hock the measures it is neces- 

 sary to take are tedious and sometimes involve many hours' 

 persistent and unremitting attention; the continuous applica- 

 tion of slacked lime, finely pulverized, sprinkling it on to the spot 

 where the joint oil is escaping vnitil such, a time as the union of 

 the oil and lime forms a plug and the further escape is arrested, is 

 the best treatment; it is important to understand that once begun, 

 this procedure must be continued without even one moment's inter- 

 mission through day and night, if needs be; it is generally neces- 

 sary to have a relay of at least three men who will keep up the 

 sprinkling of the lime until the desired object is attained; once 

 the flow of synovia is arrested the caked lime must be allowed to 



