33b COMPENDIUM OP THE VETERINARY ART. 



ma.et,',f^iff:,m 



to remain open, are productive of very 

 violent pain and infiammation. AVhen they 

 are so largr-e as to render the caustic an im- 

 proper apph cation, they should be closed as 

 neatly as possible, and kept so by adhesive 

 plaster and bandage.^ This plan is equally 

 applicable to similar wounds in joints ; and, if 

 adopted in time, will often be found very 

 effectual : even when the actual cautery has 

 been applied, and the wound seared so as t-o 

 be closed, the adhesive plaster will be found 

 a useful a^:sistant, p.nd will often prevent the 

 necessity of repeating the cautery. I have 

 known a wound in the knee joint soon healed 

 by means of the stickhig plaster alone. The 

 tendons most liable to be wounded are the 

 back sine:i^s : they are enclosed in a strong 

 tendinous sheatb, which, like a joint, contains 

 a small quantity of slippery fluid, to render 

 their motions easy, and prevent the cohesions 

 of the parts. About the fetlock joint, or 

 rather abov^e that joint, there are small sacs or 

 little bladders, connected with the tendon 

 and ligaments, which also contain this slippery 

 fluid, and serve to facilitate motion in thes^ 

 parts. When a horse is worked too hard, 

 these bladders contain an imusual quantity of 



